It’s not too often that I get to see my two brothers since they both live in New Mexico and I live in Utah. I’m also a lot older than both of them. Mike (on the right) is 12 years younger than me and Zach (in the middle) is 19 years younger than me. We were very spread out in our family, which is not how my parents originally planned things to be. Somehow, it is what was meant to be for our family though and I can’t imagine it any other way.
There are many blessings from the way we were all spaced out. We each got a lot of individual attention from our parents, and I can’t remember ever fighting with my brothers or ever not getting along with them. Even now I feel like we have a great relationship. I talk to them both on the phone every Sunday night (except I missed Mike last night so we chatted on facebook) and they always tell me they love me. I always tell them I love them, and I truly do. More than I could ever express in words.
You might notice that Zach looks a little different than me and Mike - that’s because he happened to be born across the world from us. He was born in Korea and joined our family through adoption at the age of 4 months. My Dad got to go and pick him up and he likes to brag that he was the one who delivered Zach!
They are both amazing men and I’m so happy to be their sister and friend. Siblings are such a big part of your childhood and if you’re lucky, they are also a great part of your adult life. I know not everyone has that experience though. Some sibling relationships are strained from the beginning. Others drift (or are torn) apart by life’s events.
I’ve recently realized that I want to do more to document the relationships I have with my brothers. I’ve included them in my scrapbooks of course, but there is so much more story to tell about both of them. I think a “Memory Monday” is the perfect time to jot down some thoughts about siblings. How about a few prompts to get us started?
- How many siblings do you have?
- Explain the birth order in your family
- Which siblings are/were you closest to in age? Closest to in friendship?
- What memories do you have of your siblings in childhood?
- What memories do you have of your siblings in adulthood?
- What characteristics and traits (genetic, personality, etc) do you share?
- What do they know or understand about you that other people don’t?
Great things to ponder for a Memory Monday.
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