Not enough words

She's pretty much awesome. I call her the Universal Favorite. Or Queen of Legos. Her nickname is Cha-Cha, all the nieces and nephews call her that.

She used to read to me when I was little. I am sure my parents made her, but she did it. She got so sick of my asking that she recorded the books I loved most so I could listen to them anytime. She totally invented books on tape, you see. Too bad she didn't patent it.

One time, when Eric's mother died, I called my sister to tell her. And she started to cry on the phone with me. Because my sister has so much love in her that she stretched her heart to include my in-laws. And my sister asked what she could do. And I said, "come here" totally thinking she couldn't and wouldn't. And she said "I'll be there." And she came. And she helped me sort through Mom's things, the things that were personal and that I couldn't bear for other people to touch. And she took a giant suitcase full of Mom's most favorite clothes home with her. She made them into quilts - not one, but three. And now Joshua, Uncle Scott, and Aunt Marilyn snuggle under them. Like a hug. They are beautiful.

One time, when Eric's father died, I called my sister to tell her. And my sister said "What do you need?" and I said "Come here." You see, my sister had just left Michigan after spending Christmas with us. She had sacrificed a New Mexico Christmas with her parents and brothers and their wives and muchkins to come to us. And she made Carly's sealing dress while she was here. So I didn't expect that she would be able to come back. But she said "I'll be there." And she came. She paid for it out of her own pocket (again) even though she was knee deep in buying a house. And she saved me. No, I mean literally.

My sister never gets mad. Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but truly it's very rare. She is peaceful and quiet, meek and mild. But one time, my brother Bud really ticked her off. He wouldn't put away his clothes like he was asked to (repeatedly). My sister, who is the oldest but the smallest and shortest of all the kids, turned red in the face and marched down the hallway to my brother's room bearing a hangar. And she smacked him with it. Oh! the wailing and gnashing of teeth from my brother (he wasn't hurt). My sister didn't get in trouble. Because if he pushed her far enough to make her mad, he had it coming.

My sister and I used to have pizza together once a week, when I was grown up enough and lived in Albuquerque on my own. She always paid (I was dirt poor) and sent me home with left overs. I miss that. I learned to appreciate her as a friend, as the best kind of friend. It was more than just pizza she shared with me. It was love.

My sister has shared herself with me from my cradle. Even though I drove her crazy and didn't keep our room clean (when we used to share one), even though I was the selfish and spoiled youngest child. Even though she had better things to do, she was always there. And still is, now that I'm grown up enough to realize how lucky I am.

I wish I could sum up how blessed I am that she was born. There are not enough words to describe the amazing person my sister is, but I can start with a few so you get the idea:

incomprehensible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable,
unthinkable; extraordinary, phenomenal, rare, sensational, spectacular;
singular, uncommon, unique, unusual, unwonted; conspicuous, notable, noticeable,
outstanding, remarkable; impressive, striking; animating, energizing,
enlightening, enlivening, exciting, galvanizing, invigorating, stimulating;
alluring, attracting, attractive, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming,
enchanting, entertaining, enthralling, fascinating, interesting

Happy Birthday, sister mine, and thank you.