My Eldest Sister Becky

Well, today is my Sister's birthday. SHHH--I won't say how many years.

Becky and I were a few years apart in age so in some ways she was off being and adult when I was playing dodge ball with the neighborhood kids. But there is a special memory I have of Becky growing up...

The first was during a summer when she took my youngest sister, Ruth, and me to Gillespie Lake in Southern Illinois to swim. 

 After swimming in the morning we would settle down for a picnic lunch---and since it is not a good idea to swim for an hour after one eats, Becky would read to us.

 The book she read that summer was The Hobbit. This was before J. R. R. Tolkein was COOL. That is okay--I loved it!

 As Bilbo and the gang headed through Middle Earth on their quest for Smaug's stolen treasure my mind's eye was vividly painting a picture of all the events.

 But what Becky gave me that summer was more than a few hours of escape...She helped instill in me a love of stories.

 Do you love stories? I think most of us do. They have been used for millennia to both entertain and  educate. They are fun, they are scary, and sometimes they are embarrassing.

 Becky gave me that gift. It cost her nothing but time and love, but it paid off in spades. Thanks Becky.

 Of course, it brings up the question, "what have I done for someone--lately?" Have I given of my time to help an elderly woman or gentleman in the grocery store, or spent some time with a toddler so his parents can have a "date night?"

It does not take a lot of time to do for others. In a world that is ever moving faster and faster sometimes we need to swim in our "Gillespie Lake" and sit with our eldest sister as she takes us on a magical ride.

Sometimes slowing down is the greatest gift one can give....Thanks Becky

Don