I am fortunate to have two sets of siblings. The first, my younger brothers, were the siblings I spent my youth with – exploring my grandparents’ farm, grabbing by the collar as they ventured too close to the bluff over the river, fighting over the window seat in my mother’s station wagon, blaming for the damage to the bathroom door… (you know who you are.)

The second set – well, it’s not a set, really – is my baby sister. She was born on Thanksgiving day in 1980, just after I turned fifteen. As my sister grew, I inched closer and closer to the door and eventually left home for a couple of years when she was three. Then a couple of years later, I was back, and shared an apartment with her and my mom. I really need to write a few stories about those years spent as a single room-mate of my single mother and the sister I got to know then.

When my mother became ill with brain cancer in 2008, my sister and I spent eleven months tag-teaming her care, and we became not only sisters, but best friends and confidantes. I probably need to write stories about that year as well, but writing about that time is still pretty exhausting. And it pisses me off. (If you’re interested, there are some posts tagged here.)

I have found myself grateful over the years for my siblings, especially when hearing about a friend’s family that is in turmoil or that has members who are estranged from one another. I am amazed at how different each of us are from each other, and how, in spite of our differences, we manage to reach out and stay in communication in our own way and show appreciation for each other. My parents never forced us to love each other, or even apologize if we wronged each other, but respect was always important in our family. My mother insisted that we didn’t give her enough when we teased her after we’d become adults – we insisted that our teasing was proof of our respect. I’m not sure we convinced her.

So for this week’s writing prompt, I invite you to share some words about what your siblings mean to you. Or, if you are an only, tell us about living without siblings, or folks who have come into your life that have been there for you in ways you would expect siblings to be. Maybe you are constantly amazed and/or frustrated by your children and how they relate to their siblings. Or recount a tale of your grandfather and the time he and his siblings drove across country to attend the World’s Fair. You get the idea.

When you have your post completed (or if you have one already done to share!) just add it to the link below for us all to see. The link will close in two weeks and as you link up, I will be sharing your links on social media to help promote them. Have a wonderful holiday! Thanks for stopping by!