Sisters

The stop in New Jersey gave me an opportunity to check in with my sister and brother-in-law, Jeanne and Frank; meet up with my nephew and his wife, Steve and Sarita; and a chance for Terry to crash as he was still clearly not feeling himself.

My sister is the one person on earth that I have been linked to my whole life (well, since I was four years old - when she was born). We are alike in many respects, but different enough to make it interesting. As children, the four-year age difference separated us in our socializing; that difference evaporated in adulthood. Thanks to the benefits of electronic and social media, Jeanne & I are in contact just about every day (email, texting, Facebook, oh, and the phone!). There's not much in life that we can't share with one another, and we relish the fact that we are there for each other, no matter what. My sister is loving, honest, and caring. We are the best of friends and I thank God for her everyday.

The Heyer family (my maiden name) is small and we are geographically dispersed. Neither Jeanne nor I have our children living close by; there are no Sunday dinners where family gathers around the table. It takes planning and coordinating schedules to find a date on busy calendars that works for visits. Well, that applies to me. For the last 3 years my sister was separated from her son by the Atlantic Ocean, as he and his wife lived in Liverpool. Two trips to England wasn't quite what she would have preferred. Now, Steve and Sarita are back, but only for 6 weeks. They are heading in the opposite direction this time, to New Mexico. At least they are state-side. My layover in September was a chance to spend time with my nephew, catch up, give him a hug and wish him well. It was also time with Jeanne - to be there with her as she prepares for another time to see Steve and Sarita off once again.

Although this visit did not see the entire family share a meal together, our very own and favorite chef, Frank, provided a great Italian dinner (his homemade sauce!) for the five of us who made it to Gordon Avenue. Salute!