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Lent - Day 34


I know I’ve missed a few days – okay more than a few.  But I have a perfectly good reason.  My sisters were in town!  My sisters Judie and Nancy are 15 and 13 years older than I am, respectively.  Judie and I developed our relationship as adults because she had moved out to college, marriage, real life, by the time I was a person with thoughts and vocabulary.  Nancy was a surrogate mother to me.  I went on her dates with her and when she got married, I spent most of my school vacations and weekends with her and her family.  Her daughter Nancy is only 5 years younger than I am.  That’s a smaller gap than there is between myself and any of my siblings.
Anyway – Nancy drove up from Southern Oregon with her daughter Nikki and our brother’s daughter Maggie.  Judie drove in from McMinnville and we spent Thursday night and all of Friday together – eating, talking, laughing – lots of laughing. 
My niece Nikki has a great wit and a wonderful gift for story telling.  We think that they should develop a Bluetooth where Nikki can be in your ear, eavesdropping on your conversations and telling you what to say.  Her wit is quick and fabulous.  She always has the right answer for everything.
I could tell you some of the things she has done, but I want to save them for my own book, like the time she was trying to pay a traffic ticket…oops…there I go.
Judie went back home on Friday and Saturday morning, I spent with the other girls at Saturday Market.  Portland Saturday Market is at least 30 years old.  I moved here 30 years ago and it was happening then.  The market is a large area under the Burnside Bridge where artisans and crafts persons set up their booths and sell their things.  The food carts are what you usually find at these places, burritos, gyros, Vietnamese sandwiches and the always yummy elephant ears.  (large doughy goodies with cinnamon and sugar on them)
Needless to say, I failed to keep away from bread this weekend.  I am still wine free.  Bread is the staff of life apparently for us Watt girls.  Nikki has had to go gluten free and it has been very hard on her.  I do need to do a yeast fast – I will try to be good for the rest of Lent – which is down to the last two weeks now. 
Sunday, I took my step-daughter Jennifer out to dinner for her birthday.  April is a huge birthday month for me.  I have several friends with birthdays.  My father’s birthday was April 8 – the day we were all together.  We drank a coffee in his honor.  I love you Daddy.  Yesterday, April 11 was my beautiful daughter’s birthday.  My angel.  My pride and joy.  My best friend.  My brown-eyed Bridgete.  I love you too!  And today is Jennifer’s actual birthday.  She 10 years minus one day older than Bridgete.  Knowing what my sisters mean to me at this time in my life, I am overjoyed that Bridgete and Jennifer have built a friendship.  I know it will last them long after I am gone – but that is a long time from now!
So I have been blessed to spend the last several days in the presence of love and family that fills my heart with joy.  I know some fabulous ladies!

Comments

Jenn Flynn-Shon said…
Yea for family, laughter, birthdays and (it must be something over here too) bread :-)

There is simply nothing more awesome than spending time with a sister!
April 13, 2011 at 7:33 AM
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