Back when I had red hair...OR "Siblings"

A couple of days ago I decided to scan an older panoramic photo taken of me and my brothers and sisters. It was a rare occasion when we were all together at one time. Rare, because like most families, we all live in different parts of the country. We all came together that year to visit my parents in Atlanta for Easter. I keep the photo in a frame above my computer on the shelf, and every time I look at it, the silly expressions on us in that photo makes me smile.

Anyway, I scanned it and emailed it to my siblings with a note like "Look at us in 2004!" Responses came back from several of my brothers and sisters over the next couple of days, one telling me my math was way off, that the year was 1997. Holy cow, how time flies! LOL! One of my brothers responded "how 'bout that 'stache"? (He'd shaved it off years ago). The other brother had to torment my baby sister and comment on how, although two of the sisters had lost a lot of weight, "the baby" had since put a lot on, and I looked the same. Which prompted a response back from "the baby" that she actually had lost weight since then and maybe he'd found it and was hiding it somewhere. And although my hair is no longer red, I think I'm the one that had found the lost weight and it wasn't hiding anywhere! Ahhh, sibling rivalry, huh? The subject matter of my email, "Back When I Had Red Hair", innocently forwarding a photo I assumed no one else had, suddenly had taken on a life of its own! I talked to my Dad on the phone today ~ I had also copied him on the email, and he was receiving the responses from his children, was laughing and accusing me of "stirring things up."

I am so thankful to have such a close family. Although we tease each other a little meanly sometimes, we would walk through fire for each other. My sisters are my best friends. When I hear stories of how some families have a falling out and don't speak to each other for years, it really saddens me. Life's too short! I can attest to that with my memory failure of how many years have passed since me and my siblings were together...seems like yesterday.



Peg's "the baby" and there are 10 years between us (I'm the oldest, along with my twin Lari). Joe's the next youngest, then there's one year between Lari & I and Patty, and two years between us to Claire. Yes! My poor mother had her hands full when we were babies!

'Til next time,

Mary