While this post is a bit belated as National Siblings day of 2015 has come and gone, I am okay with that as, because as great as it is that we have a national day set aside to recognize our siblings I think we should strive to recognize and honor our siblings daily. As i was scrolling through Facebook yesterday I was pleased to be able to pictures and posts of my friends and families in celebration of their siblings, plus it was a good reminder i still needed to get this post put together.
I feel that we all to often overlook and take for granted the value of our family bonds. I know I will go days or weeks without taking the time to reach out and check in with my family members. Sure we all have other things going on in our lives, but to be honest I notice that when I have more free time available I reach out less. Perhaps it is related to my ongoing procra stination syndrome (Take note of the belated timing of this post.) but regardless of any excuses I may have I need to do better, perhaps i will start working on that next week...But for now I will get on with my post.
The word "sibling" is defined as follows:
sib·ling
/ˈsibliNG/
1. each of two or more children or offspring having one or both parents in common; a brother or sister.
Which is pretty straight forward but yet very lacking, and incomplete. While the simplicity of the definition seems to overlook and perhaps leave out a families with varied backgrounds or situations, I want to come up with a definition that is more fitting to my experiences, while I hope all of you have been blessed to have similar experiences with your siblings, I hope that my definition will help you to better recognize the value of your own sibling no matter how you define them.
As I was thinking about my siblings today I tried to think who I would be without them in order to increase my appreciation for them, and though I may be lacking in wealth, education and a lot of other things in my life that is not what i am thinking about. I am thinking more about who I am, and again i know i am far from perfection and have many faults and weaknesses. But most of those issues are despite their great influences.
As I contemplated a life with no siblings, which was something I wished for at different times in my childhood, luckily it was never granted. I began to think about all of the experiences and life lessons I would have missed out on. Good and bad I would have missed out on a lot. And it is based on these experiences that I began to put together my definition
Whether through love and care or through spite and jealousy, the people in our loves effect us, and while i would like to say in my family it was always the former that kept us going there was a bit of the latter as well. But overall I am thank full for my siblings not only for what they did for me, but for what they allowed me to do for them. As they have always been their for me in my times of need, even when i would try to shut them out, and because they let me do the same for them it has helped to be a better person.
Ok so here is my personal definition for sibling:
sib·ling
/ˈsibliNG/
- a Barbie for your He-Man. (boy was i glad to finally get a brother when i was 12.)
- a beacon of light in the dark.
- a checklist to keep you in check.
- a clown when you feel down.
- a cohort in your plan(s) to overthrow your parents rule.
- a co-op partner to save the Mushroom Kingdom.
- a defender even in times of offense.
- a fellow Saturday morning cartoon warrior.
- a friend even when you don't want one.
- a guide who knows when to ask for directions.
- a leader who knows when to follow.
- a life preserver when you go off the deep end.
- a reminder of what really matters in life.
- a scapegoat when your busted.
- a source of inspiration to be the best YOU!
- a spark to ignite your imagination.
- a teacher who is ok with also being the student.
- a trendsetter that will pass on their style. (In the form of hand-me-downs.)
- an alarm clock, when you want to sleep in.
- a tuner when you have fallen out of tune.
- practice for the real world.
- someone that sees the best in you despite knowing the worst.
- someone that wants everything you have but would give it all up for you.
- someone that will play a board game with you even when they are not bored.
- someone to bring your schoolwork home if you get your finger stuck in your throat.
- someone to get you off the hook, as long as your willing to bait their hooks.
- someone to remember your most embarrassing moments and knows just when to bring them up.
- someone to share those "Some Fun Saturdays" with.
- someone to share your Twix Bar with.
- someone to talk to even when nothing is said.
- someone who will pretend they don't know while you ride the kiddie rides at K-Mart. (I don't think they list an age or size limit.)
- someone wearing a matched outfit with you on family outings.
- someone who loves you despite you ability to annoy.
- the soundtrack/laugh track you can't turn off, on a long car ride.
- the sun on a rainy day.
- your voice when you lose the courage to speak for yourself.
Ok so i know that my definition is still not complete as their so many blessings large and small that have been brought into my life, through my eternal connection to my four sisters and my brother all of whom have been blessed to be able to put up with never ending harassment and teasing from me over the last 35 years.
So while i am still an imperfect person with a long way to go in many directions i am thankful for all of my siblings and all that they have done, do and will do to inspire and lead me in this life. I know that they had not been such a big part of my life, that I would be lost, and that my life experiences would have had so much less meaning to them. I am also thankful for my extended siblings who have entered into our family through marriage and for the added blessings and joy they have brought with them.
