Sharon

When I think about my sister, the very first thought I have is of when I was a little kid. We shared a room, and I loved her clothes! Especially her grey skirt with the pink poodle and her saddle shoes. Sharon always personified elegance to me. She always dressed with flair— with scarves, cat eye glasses, kitten heels, great jewelry, and nylons. She was always such a feminine character.

We didn’t play together because she was born a grown- up. I remember she wanted to be a deaconess in the church. I’m still not sure what that is, but you can rest assured it was something cool and elegant. To that end, when I was 11 she went to Kansas to a Lutheran boarding high school. My memories of her are sketchy until we moved to Glasgow, and she was dating an airman! So exciting!

Before I knew it, a wedding was being planned and a baby was on the way. When she moved to Renton, Washington, momma, daddy, and I moved to Seaside so we were closer to them.

Those years I was the babysitter while the grownups went out to dinner whenever my siblings visited Seaside. But I did get to know my little niece and nephews!

I went into high school and Sharon moved to Texas and then Georgia, but she was back to be my matron of honor for my wedding.

We always stayed in touch through letters and phone calls. They moved to Astoria and we grew a little closer when our dad was so sick, when our sweet Jennie was born, and as I became a new mom to two daughters. My Heather was just 6 months old when Sharon moved to Florida.

For most of my life, my sister has been geographically far from me, but we’ve always had that type of relationship where when we call each other on the phone, we start back up in mid sentence. I’m not sure how to go on without that.

I’m so blessed to have a few days with her when she came home from the hospital for the last time. We shared memories of our childhood, and I learned some things about those times that I’d been too young to understand. We laughed and cried, prayed and joked, and expressed our love for each other. It’s a precious time that I’ll cherish always.

She’s always been such a good storyteller, with a generous heart, the most caring and loving spirit. Our journey as sisters has not been a traditional one at all. But I’m blessed to call Sharon my sister.

It’s so hard to say goodbye to all that she is in my life. The good news is that she’ll be out of this pain and illness, waiting to welcome me when I get to see her in heaven!