To My Siblings-All 12 Of Them
Today I am grateful for the fresh air and sunshine we enjoyed yesterday. I am also grateful for a phone conversation with my sister Danita.
Speaking of siblings, birthday wishes go out today to my eldest sibling; my brother Linus. Happy Birthday!
Speaking of siblings, I have 12. Seven sisters. Five brothers. I am #11 of the 13, the baby sister with my two younger brothers rounding out the baker's dozen. There is a 19-year span between the oldest and the youngest, so we were coming along pretty quickly and two of my siblings are even the same age for a few weeks.
I can't begin to wrap my head around the many pregnancies my mom experienced and what it must have been like for my parents to try to manage their brood. It wasn't unusual in the Catholic farm country we grew up in for families to be as big as ours.
We are mainly based out of northeast Iowa yet, where we grew up. But six of us call other states our home currently. With spouses, children, and grandchildren the family that began in 1950 when my parents got married is now closing in on 100 members.
Here are a couple of things I am thinking about this morning. Among us, we have had our share of physical and mental health concerns, concerns for our own children and their lives, setbacks of a wide variety. But from my vantage point, it sure seems like we have persisted, that we have weathered the challenges pretty well.
We have also accomplished a wide array of feats; with our jobs, our own families, our hobbies, our service to our communities. We are hard-working folks with a good set of values.
It wasn't always easy growing up in such a large family, and we all lost out on important nurturing. But we also have many pleasant memories of those formative years too. I recall our long kitchen table with a bench on either side, Mom on one end, Dad on the other, and our baby brother in the high chair by mom. Soon some of the siblings were going out to begin their own lives. I wouldn't say we are the closest of families, but we all get along. No one is an outcast or unwelcome. That is pretty special. For that, and for all of my siblings, I am truly grateful.
Speaking of siblings, birthday wishes go out today to my eldest sibling; my brother Linus. Happy Birthday!
Speaking of siblings, I have 12. Seven sisters. Five brothers. I am #11 of the 13, the baby sister with my two younger brothers rounding out the baker's dozen. There is a 19-year span between the oldest and the youngest, so we were coming along pretty quickly and two of my siblings are even the same age for a few weeks.
I can't begin to wrap my head around the many pregnancies my mom experienced and what it must have been like for my parents to try to manage their brood. It wasn't unusual in the Catholic farm country we grew up in for families to be as big as ours.
We are mainly based out of northeast Iowa yet, where we grew up. But six of us call other states our home currently. With spouses, children, and grandchildren the family that began in 1950 when my parents got married is now closing in on 100 members.
Here are a couple of things I am thinking about this morning. Among us, we have had our share of physical and mental health concerns, concerns for our own children and their lives, setbacks of a wide variety. But from my vantage point, it sure seems like we have persisted, that we have weathered the challenges pretty well.
We have also accomplished a wide array of feats; with our jobs, our own families, our hobbies, our service to our communities. We are hard-working folks with a good set of values.
It wasn't always easy growing up in such a large family, and we all lost out on important nurturing. But we also have many pleasant memories of those formative years too. I recall our long kitchen table with a bench on either side, Mom on one end, Dad on the other, and our baby brother in the high chair by mom. Soon some of the siblings were going out to begin their own lives. I wouldn't say we are the closest of families, but we all get along. No one is an outcast or unwelcome. That is pretty special. For that, and for all of my siblings, I am truly grateful.
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