Hannah (5) and Marissa (3)

The husband and I were invited to celebrate the birthdays of two of my sister’s granddaughters. Hannah turned five on May 12 and Marissa turns three today. This wasn’t a kid-type party, but the ones you have with grandparents and other assorted relatives, and possibly not as much fun for the birthday girls. So after the BBQ lunch, cake and the opening of presents, I headed down to the play area my sister and brother-in-law have set up for the grandkids and helped push the kids on the swings.

An interesting conversation began when Hannah asked me what my room was like when I was a little girl. I explained that I shared a room with her grandma and the wheels in her little head were in full motion as she realized that I knew what her grandma was like as a little girl.

“How many stuffed animals did Grandma have? What was Grandma’s favorite color? What did Grandma like to play?”

Me and my sister

Oh, the opportunity these questions presented! You see, my sister is four years older and consequently, we were not all that close as children. She found me rather annoying and really didn’t like to play with me, and more than anything else in the world wanted NOT to share a room with me. Yep, I could tell these little girls a lot of things about their grandma, but the fact is we are no longer children.

My sister has more than redeemed herself in so many ways, and she has forgiven me for pretending to be her when her boyfriends would call (our voices are very similar!) and for borrowing her clothes without permission. We’re still not as close as some sisters, but we have a deep appreciation for one another. She cries when she knows I’m hurting. She encourages me to try new things (especially with our landscaping). She shares her grandchildren stories, which make me smile.

So with *finesse, I answered the girls’ questions making them giggle to think that in many ways, their grandma was just like them.

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)