5 Musketeers

I do believe I've said these things, or something similar, before but, since I got off track in another blog entry and put these words together, I'll insert them as a separate entry here.

I somehow missed the "interesting person" gene that my siblings all seemed to have. Where the heck did my reserved nature come from which keeps me from feeling free to be whatever in the moment despite whatever acceptance or reproof I might receive?

I have the best siblings in the world. They're all fun people. My oldest sister, the mother hen of the bunch, is a woman of strength and beauty who has endured more than any woman should have to and yet she is the one who keeps everyone connected and she does it with ease. She's also mastered the art of fun. She can be a pain when it comes to knowing whether or not your fast food may have been spit on after she's been rude to someone not overly adept at their job, but she's also a person who gives of herself and her time to strangers who end up becoming new names on her long list of friends. She's steadfast and loyal and she'll kick your ass if you mess with someone she loves...literally. She doesn't see herself as she truly is and limits herself in the process and this is the only thing I'd change about her if I could, and not because I'd like to change her but because it would bring her greater happiness. She's the ringleader of the bunch and where she leads the rest inevitably follow if all together and looking for fun. The children run from her when they're small due to her teasing but love her when puberty hits and they get "it". She's outrageous but also very aware of what is supposed to be. She just sets her own rules when it suits her. Just sitting here writing this brings back so many moments which make me smile.

My middle sister, is incomparable. I still see her as a teen, a beautiful blonde with an enviable compact, tanned, athletic body and gorgeous dimples when she smiled. I often wanted to be her while growing up and this led me to doing some things I'd probably not have done otherwise...like jumping off bridges. I had total confidence in her, I realize now, for I'd probably have followed her anywhere. She's the rebellious female whom life tempered, she's obstinate as a mule but able to bend as well, she can be unyielding on the outside but has the softest core of any of us, and she's the nurturer and most often the strength of the bunch. Like my other sister, she gives of herself always and is usually one of the first volunteers to any endeavor whether for friend or otherwise. (I do believe they got this trait from my mother.) Life has been tough but she proves she's more than capable to handle what comes her way. It's better not to make her angry if you want ANYONE to be happy. On the other hand, she's sneaky as hell with her fun. She'll quietly do something and wait for the fallout and her laugh is fantastic. Subtle she may be but she's just as fun as the others.

My brother is the baby of the family and that sometimes reveals itself in expected ways. He too was a reserved child compared to our siblings but he managed to inherit that interesting gene too which offsets his reserve. He can be soooo goofy and will do most anything if it comes to mind, so beware. He's crosses between subtle and overt humor and so it's most often unexpected whatever it is. While he enjoys a good time, he has a serious nature in complete balance. My brother is also a man of character whether as a result of our conservative and traditional household or by personal choice and I envy my sister-in-law. He doesn't like things to be complicated and prefers a peaceful and happy existence where basic routines support spontaneity and fun. Unlike my sisters who have beautiful green eyes, his are a warm brown and the comfort you find within further throws you off balance when he's up to mischief. Two images always come to mind when I think of him and that's his attempt to creep me out by mimicking the Linda Blair head-turning scene and him putting his index finger at his nostril wherever he might be...this because he lost part of that digit in high school shop class and it looks as if he's got half his finger up his nose.

My older brother sadly left us when he was twenty but he was no different from my other siblings in that he knew how to have fun and didn't take himself too seriously. He, more than any of the rest of us, inherited the Cherokee coloring. Lean, sinewy, and brown...that's how I see him. We spent so much time in the sun that he'd seldom lose all of his color before the summer came around again, unlike those of us who tanned but generally retained the Irish/Scottish tendency to lose our color quickly. His brown eyes, darker than my other brother's, mirrored well his thoughts. I can still remember the way he moved, I can see him smile, and I can see his anger that was quick and then gone. He paired with my middle sister in temperament and loyalty while my younger brother and I tended to do the same. Those two would fight like cats and dogs regardless of the fact that my father said you weren't supposed to hit a girl. So what if she packs quite a wallop herself? Watching them go at it was like watching a train wreck...fascinating but scary...and watching them get into trouble later (if they got caught) was kind of funny. He, like her, was a rebel and I often wonder what their relationship would have been like through the years.

In many ways, I see my brother when I look at my son. My son is now the age my brother was when he left us but it isn't along those lines I think. My son has a similar build, the same self-confidence, and the same rebellious and seeking nature with the softness often shrouded. While riding a Harley behind my son one day and sharing a mother/son moment, I got a glimpse of him as a man and everything about him in that moment made me see my brother. They share the same name as well.

All of us, but for my oldest sister, were a year apart in ages with her being a few years older than us all. We were like stair steps and we were most often our own company. We had a lot of fun together as kids used to do running wild outside. We depended on one another, loved one another, got angry together and made up together, banded together against the world and often against our father by taking a spanking as one instead of telling on one another, went our separate ways but remained close, and work together to this day to put the group ahead of the individuals within. This is the world I knew and cannot fathom life without them in it. For those children who have no siblings or who don't share a similar sibling experience, I can only hope they're able to find someone in this world who can duplicate the experience for them.

So, what happened to me? I often wonder that. I'm thankful every day that both my children managed to inherit the elusive gene. I may not be witty but I do love to laugh and these people can make me laugh even when I don't feel like doing so.