As the Thanksgiving holiday is upon us I'm truly thankful today for many things. I have a home that is not under siege of fire threat in California to start with. My family is healthy. My marriage is loving and strong. I have 4 grandchildren who are all so different and amusing. Both my daughters are pregnant and due to deliver 2 more grands we are affectionately calling "the twins" Feb 7th 2019. (What kind of odds are those!?) And...my children adore me. (Right kids?)! In the midst of this season of thankfulness I am choosing joy and remembering my older sister Cheryl Marks Yates Zimmerman who passed from her 6 month battle leukemia almost 6 years ago. Today would of been her 62 birthday. I think about her every single day! Recently my granddaughter Hayley commented on a picture that is placed on my refrigerator of Cheryl. She said, "That is a pretty picture of you Nana." I gulped hard and told her it was a picture of my sister Cheryl who is now in heaven. She looked at the picture for a long stare and said, " She looks like you Nana." Several tears leaked out of my eyes. Cheryl would have loved meeting my grands. She missed the birth of my first grandchild Colton Sterling by mere weeks. She celebrated with me and would text me baby names to pass along to her niece Noelle. She really liked the name Spencer and lobbied hard for it since one of her favorite nurses at University of Washington Medical Center had that name. Sigh- As hard as it is today, I'm thankful I have wonderful memories growing up with her. We did our share of bickering and teasing each other, but in the end she was my big sister and she would always have my back.
One of my brothers ( Ken- the good brother he calls himself) always sent out his sisters birthday gifts by November 17th each year. That meant that sister Terri and I who have birthdays in August and September would find a lovely package in November waiting for us just in time for Cheryl's birthday. I miss getting my birthday card and gift on Cheryl's birthday now! I suppose I will ask my brother to send it for November 17th in the future after all! Its a good day to remember and be thankful if you are me.
