Today I said goodbye to my sister as she departed to the school where she teaches eighth grade English and I waited for my Uber driver to take me to the airport. It was a weekend in Knoxville filled with trips to Fig & Company, Home Goods, Bradley’s and Kroger. Our days ended with a bottle of wine and a bowl of homemade guacamole (and chips). Did I mention the missing wine opener? We tore the kitchen apart and never found a wine opener…. not to worry; it turns out a screwdriver and hammer works too… the key is you have to tap the bottom of the bottle as you pour…..
Over the course of 2 1/2 days we watched 40 hours of Flipping Out with Jeff Lewis on Hulu. It was perfect… we don’t do fancy on our weekends together. We usually pair a brush with a gallon of paint and a side of spray paint. We laugh, we share, confide and sometimes snort…it happens when the perfect story or memory follows a glass of wine….
When I left today I snapped a photo of my sister’s home office. I wanted to mix and match her Sharpies and highlighters, but they were so pretty… I think the organization is a teacher thing….
Her Sharpies and highlighters are organized in mason jars and cute organizers from our favorite addiction. Her filing cabinet is a shoe organizer she repurposed to organize thank you cards, birthday cards and mailing envelopes. I wish I had snagged a photo….. instead I grabbed this one. We are sisters, but I did not inherit the gene that wires me to organize and stay organize…
I think I got the gene that makes it a challenge to write a sentence without hopping over to the internet to order dog food or to Google “font plugins” … This is my desk when I returned home tonight…
The truth is life gets messy. Saying our goodbyes are always tough. This trip was with a heavy hear, on the same weekend, a few states away, our mom was saying her final goodbyes to her sister. My mom’s sister died on Saturday after a very brief and private illness. We believe our aunt wanted to keep it private.. until the end.
And, it’s hardest on those left behind… to grieve, pray and say goodbye to a sibling. I am one of five siblings; I have one sister. I tell close friends God gave me a sister because He knew …. He knew…. we needed each other; for reasons for another day….
The thought of my sister and I apart, by choice or circumstance, is unimaginable… the type of pain that sticks in your throat and tears pool behind my glasses as my fingers type the letters for this post. It’s almost too much sadness to imagine…
So I focus on Sharpies. Sharpies .. permanent markers that leave a permanent mark across our belongings, calendars and hearts.
Thank you sissy for the perfect weekend. I am your disorganized sister where all I need is a Sharpie to find color coordinated clarity, clear thoughts and the memories that will last a lifetime….I love you to Super Target and back!
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