The Posse

My sister, Barb, called one day and asked if she and my sister, Carol, could come by for a visit sometime before my birthday. (In case you aren't aware, I have 5 sisters and a brother. That's right, five sisters, and I'm the baby.) We settled on Thursday, 2 days before my birthday. I had the distinct impression they were up to something that I needed to be a little nervous about. My other sisters Kaye, Claire and Judy did nothing to calm my nerves. They dropped a few hints that they had something up their sleeves. Nobody really spilled the beans, but they did have me a little concerned that they were going to come makeover some part of my life. "Oh my, they're going to lay down the law," I thought. I wondered if they were going to show up with garden tools and put me to work in my yard, or get me to committ to a mini triathlon (one of Carol's current passions). Worse yet, I wondered if they were showing up to tie me down and dye my hair. One sister(Carol) has been wanting to cover my gray for some time now(maybe she thinks that if I, her younger sister, looks old it makes her look old). Sorry, but I have a dread of gray roots and of being a little old lady with black hair. Both of which are just wrong. Besides, just like I told Sarah when she lost her hair from chemo, "Wear if proudly, Girl, you earned it!" I'll keep my gray , thankyouverymuch. :)

Well, they did show up and they looked as though they were nearly as nervous as I was. They were loaded down with gifts and a mighty tasty bundt cake. They had invited "the neighbors" (my neice, Andrea, and her 2 adorable little boys.......you'll be hearing more about them) to join us for the party. Barb surprised me with a "Magic Bullet" and protein powder.

I've been putting it to good use and all I can say for now is, "Mmmmmmmm!" Carol gave me a fun new apron and some "Vitamin I".

By this point I was feeling a little like an outlaw in an ambush and thinking, "Definitely the mini tri. Ugh!" And, "How in tarnation am I going to get out of this?" And then, to my pleasant surprise, they gifted me with a $100 certificate to Sports Authority.

And if I used it by Mother's Day I would get and additional $25. This I could handle. Now all I had to do is decide how to spend the money. Carol suggested good running shoes, but I actually have a pair whether I look like I do or not. I just love my Teva's so much more. Now some people might be offended by gifts like this. They might take away the message, "You're a wreck. Now do something about it." But the message I got was, "You're a wreck and we know what you've been through. It's time you got to take care of yourself." You see, these amazing sister's of mine and my brother, Ted(he's amazing too), have been by my side through thick and thin these past couple of years. I can't begin to list all the things they've done for me, and how much their support has meant. They've rallied their little posse to right whatever problems they could. Whenever they saw a need, they were there without being asked. They couldn't fix everything, but they sure made it all MUCH, MUCH easier than it could have been. And now that I've set out to overhaul myself, they're right back here encouraging me along my way. It may take some mighty big guns to whip me into shape, but I know they have 'em and they're not afraid to use 'em.