Did you know that April 10, 2015 is National Siblings Day? It’s a day for celebrating and recognizing brothers and sisters. Siblings may have either one or both parents in common. Claudia Evart established National Siblings Day after losing both of her siblings at a young age. She selected April 10th as the day to celebrate siblings. April 10th was the birthday of her late sister, Lisette.
Do you have siblings? Have you celebrated them lately? Siblings usually grow up with strong emotional bonds, which can be positive or negative or a mixture of both. This is all influenced by many things within the family dynamics.
Think back to your childhood. Do you have any fond memories of your siblings? Do you have any humorous memories of your siblings? I certainly do! Being the oldest of seven children, I remember lots of chaos and funny things happening to my siblings and because of my siblings. I also remember holding them, babysitting them, bossing them around, dressing up our dogs with them, and putting mercurochrome on many of their cuts and scratches.
I recall with fondness the day that my mother couldn’t find her new tube of lipstick. Later she discovered one of my siblings had used it to decorate the new puppies all over in places a tube of lipstick was never intended to be used!
Memories go back to playing Annie, Annie Over and Badminton on summer evenings after working all day on the farm. Fading memories include evening picnics on hot summer days and sisters riding heifers because they longed for a horse so badly. Now, my sisters all have horses of their own. Fond and foggy memories come back of a brother making contraptions to “drive” out of two lathes and a wheel which he vigorously pushed about the driveway. Another little brother, gone too soon, but never forgotten, earned a reputation of being able to sniff out hidden candy treats that none of the other siblings could find. As I reminisce, I flash back to a cuddly baby brother who I spoiled by rocking him as often as I had a chance to. My first year of working caused me great excitement as I skimped and saved to buy all my siblings the best Christmas gifts I could afford. I was especially excited about the dolls I had gotten for my sisters. Years later, one of my siblings shared that the toy I gave her was, indeed, the best Christmas toy she had ever received. Hearing those words from my sibling was one of the best gifts I have ever received.
I pause to remember my younger siblings…all six of them. I look at the paths their lives took and their impact on the world. Each has touched other’s lives. There’s:
- The hard-working brother who is so smart and the best Dad and Grandpa anyone could ever ask for.
- A gone-to-soon brother who selflessly volunteered and gave endlessly to his community and family.
- A brother who fights to overcome physical afflictions, yet he loves the hunt and shares that joy and appreciation of nature with his children.
- Three sisters who, despite facing the many challenges life throws at them, love and rescue animals. They work tirelessly to give those animals a good and well-loved life, while instilling in others those same values.
These days my siblings and I are separated by too many miles. It is difficult, if not impossible, to get everyone together. Lives have become busy and complicated and contact isn’t as frequent as any of us would like it to be. But one thing binds us together—blood.
There are a couple of famous old sayings about family ties: “Blood runs thicker than water,” and “You can’t choose your family.” I guess those are both true. The blood and the family…that’s what makes us siblings. The joys, the memories, the trials, and the sorrows only a family knows bind us together. And from that we continue on…making new memories, creating more joyous, humorous, and memorable moments while cherishing the good times. We honor our parents and each other by living the best lives we can.
Do you have siblings? Have you wished them a “Happy Sibling’s Day” yet? My siblings and I have a lot of laughs when we are able to get together. We love to reminisce about all the funny things that happened when we were growing up. I am reminded of one of Erma Bombeck’s humorous and timeless books. One of her books is called, “Family–The Ties That Bind … And Gag!” May all siblings experience those ties that bind and gag…because everyone needs to laugh with and at their siblings from time-to-time. We can do that simply because we all share that bloodline. Just beware…at some point the gag will be removed! Will your sibling consider it to be payback time? Everyone gets their turn to laugh out loud at those ties that bind and gag. 🙂