A Wonderful Trip

April 3, 2017

This has been a wonderful trip.  It started with my younger sister asking me, not once, but twice, to spend time at her house, and even offering to ferry me to and from the airport.  What a generous offer.  I accepted the opportunity to spend time with her, but felt I needed my own vehicle, aware we would have some divergent schedules during this time.  Then, my sister realized she was obligated to give a presentation at a library about her trip to South Africa.  She was concerned about being double booked, but I was delighted to travel with her to the presentation and hear about her first Africa trip.  We made contingency plans in case I arrived late, but all went well with my travels, and I found her house with just a small misdirection, and we were able to travel to the presentation together.

It has been since the fall of 1970, when I moved off to college, that this sister and I shared a bedroom.  After some initial introduction to physical space, it felt like we took up where we left off. I absolutely enjoyed the presentation at the library.  It was wonderful.

I followed her to the resort where the wedding of my niece was scheduled to take place, and we shared a room.  We did some sightseeing that day, and later that night, I was blessed with a personal presentation of her second Africa trip, to Uganda.  How marvelous. 

All went well, even when I lost my room key card, it was not a hardship.  I did not replace it, we just made do.  After the wedding, when we repaired to my brother’s room to visit with another brother, niece, and in-laws on the third sister’s side of the family, all went well. We both showed up with refreshments, and the in-law commented we were raised by the same mother.  How apropos!

The sense of family and belonging during this time is something I have not felt, I think, since the death of my mother.  I have returned to the Northeast since then: the wedding of two nieces, a trip I made on my own, and a Crochier family reunion.  But this was so special. 

Thank you, sister.  You are an amazing women, and I love you very much!