Sisters Forever! All For One and One for All!

I am happy to report that I finally got to see my big sister Marilyn on this day. She is currently residing in a nursing and rehab home in Danville, and it's a bit of a hike to go see her: about five hours in the car, round trip, all told, for me. But we did it! And the trip was a grand success!

We did one of those family relay things through central Pennsylvania like we did back in springtime, when I told you all the story of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Pony Express, and how it made its long voyage of mercy to deliver love, family, and cookies. 

Except at this point, my dad (the middle and absolutely most colorful leg of the prior transport) is in Heaven hanging out with Mom and Barb and Jesus, so I printed out the photo of him from that story, and we took it along in the car. And so it is that Lee rides with us still. Fist-pump to the sky: No restrictions, Dad!!!

My husband and I left our house shortly after 10, stopped by the Juniata River below Lewistown to enjoy the amazing mist show, and showed up at Sal's in McAlisterville in time to split an Italian hoagie before my husband dropped me off at my baby sister Julie's house.

Julie and her daughter Kaylee, a senior in high school, and I took off for Danville from there. We made it to Marilyn's by around 1:30, and spent a little more than an hour visiting with her. I myself had not seen Marilyn since the day of her husband's funeral back in spring, so we had a lot of catching up to do.

I had a few little gifts I had brought along for Marilyn. I showed you all the bracelets I made for us sisters a few days earlier. Marilyn got her name bracelet and one that said Sisters Strong. Julie and I each got our name bracelets, and Kaylee got one with Barb's quote, To The Moon And Back, which is how much she always said she loved us. The above photo shows us wearing our bracelets: Kaylee and Anita (in my trademark purple) to the left, Marilyn (in her trademark pink) and Julie to the right.

I put my sister Marilyn's bracelets on her and I gave her a little speech. I pointed to the bracelets and said, "Now, these are for you to LOOK AT and know that YOU ARE LOVED, and that WE ARE WITH YOU, and that WE ARE PRAYING for you every single day!" I told her that we were sisters, and as such, we are strong enough to get through all of this!

Back in July, when I thought I would get to see Marilyn soon, I bought her a sheep as a little gift. But I did not know then that my parents would begin their process of dying right in front of us, which is all of the visiting I did every week or so throughout July, August, and September. Somehow Marilyn had to take a back seat to all of THAT, for which I'm so sorry, Marilyn.

Anyway, back to the sheep. I bought the sheep at Philipsburg Heritage Days and shortly after that, I also ended up with the fleece sheep blanket I made Marilyn many years ago. Yes, she has a thing for sheep. Marilyn's estate was sold in late July and the sheep blanket was rescued and came to reside with me. The little sheep I had bought hung out with all of my other critters on the sheep blanket. It was perfect!

But finally, this day came, in which the sheep (who now thought it was part of MY herd) got packed up, said farewell to all of the other critters, and got placed in my daysack, along with the friendship bracelets and a bag of cheesie poofs (Marilyn's favorite snack back in the days when I lived with her in the 80s), which I had pilfered from the snack area of Julie's kitchen.

I had walked into the bedroom that morning, and found all of the other animals gathered around the sheep, as we told it that it now had important stuff to do. It would go live with Marilyn, and be a comfort sheep for her! Nobody knew what that meant.

When I was sitting with Marilyn, I told her that the sheep had come with me, that it could simply visit, if that's what she preferred, or it could come and stay. She said she would like it if the sheep stayed. So that is how our mild-mannered woolly friend found its mission in life, to help Marilyn hold on! Her eyes also lit up at the cheesie poofs, which made me smile.

Eventually, Julie and Kaylee and I had to take our leave of Marilyn, and we did so with hugs and tears. "You are still my big sister," I said to her, as I hugged her, and she smiled. She was always my protector, who saved me from my big brother when he would chase me around the house ("Get away from her, you old toad!" Marilyn would cry in my defense, hiding me behind her). She was also the girly one, who painted my finger nails and toe nails when I wanted so badly to be one of the Bigger Girls.

We stopped for peppermint frosties along the way, and again to visit our family graves at St. John's Cemetery. Then Julie and Kaylee dropped me off back at Mom & Dad's house, where my husband and I grabbed a few things, hopped into the car, and headed for home, by way of Sal's OIP once again. 

As I sat in the car at Sal's in the growing dusk, it seemed like it was taking a while, just for a salad. When my husband came back to the car, he had a smug grin on his face. Oh yes, he'd talked Sal into making us another fish dinner, as he did that one other time prior, on the day of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Pony Express. They are good people there, and what a treat it was to get home and heat that unexpected fish dinner up in the oven, and feast!

Anyway, we made it almost to the top of the Seven Mountains before full-on darkness hit. And it was black out as could be, and felt like midnight by the time we got home, but it was only 6 p.m. These are the days of the long darkness.

When I got to my computer, I uploaded my photos and went through just a few of them, from what turns out to be an A-plus day. I showed my husband the one of the four of us with our bracelets on that I selected as my blip picture for the day, and he laughed and said, "You're the Four Musketeers! All for one and one for all!" "Either that, or Wonder Twin Powers, activate," I said back, and laughed.

And I went back to the bedroom to find Tiny Tiger sitting on the sheep blanket on the bed, telling all of the other animals the story (yes, he'd gone along too!) about Marilyn and her pretty finger nails and the big place she lives in and how the sheep was now living there. All of the other animals were listening intently!

So here is the story of how we did the family relay through central Pennsylvania once again. We delivered some friendship bracelets, and one small sheep who has a very big job to do, and some cheesie poofs, and lots of love and hugs. We may not get to see her often, but we left Marilyn wrapped in our love.

I have two photos so here are two soundtrack songs. First, for the Four Musketeers above, here are Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting, with All for Love. For the sheep in the extras, who is in charge of providing support and encouragement, I've got Wilson Phillips, with Hold On.

P.S. We also note with great sadness the passing of my little sister's beloved black kitty Gracie the night before, in Julie's arms. Go well, sweet one. You were so well loved. <3