Happy Birthday, Orchid!

My little sister, today is her birthday. We've played phone tag all day, not getting through to each other. I really hope she had a wonderful day. She's such an important role in my life. All I could think of when we found out this baby is a girl, how thankful I am for Four to have a sister. I treasure my sister. Sure, it wasn't always like that. I remember just before my senior year how things changed between us. She finally got it. She wasn't just the annoying little sister anymore. We had many things in common. Our relationship wasn't ever really bad, but we were not as close until that turning point. Next thing I knew, I was boarding a plane to Germany and it seemed we didn't have enough time together after all. I had looked forward to seeing her in the hallway at school. I enjoyed being on the swim team. I also enjoyed working with her at the pool during the summer. We followed similar paths throughout those years. When I came back from Germany, she was almost done with HS and off to college. I am glad I was able to sort of be around for her senior year. My college choice was an hour away. I decided to go that direction because I had just been so very far away. I didn't miss out on much of anything.
She's always been there for me. I can call her with anything. When I finally got around to being back in the same area as her, once again, I felt cheated out of our time together. It was only a year. We made the most of it. She came over to our house and helped me with the kids on many occasions. I feel we saw her on a regular basis. It was great. My kids established wonderful relationships with her and Uncle T. They became a bigger part of their life. They made great memories, too.
Now Baby Orchid has joined their family. She is the most precious addition! We make the most of it with Skype, phone calls and emails. It will never be the same as when we lived only 40 minutes away. I wish I could have been there when Baby Orchid was born. I wish we could be there for her first birthday. Unfortunately, it's not in the cards. We will continue to cherish any and all the time we get, making the most memories together. For now, I wish her all the best from afar, hoping she had a great day!