Playmates
Tomorrow we celebrate Next Sister’s graduation from thirteen years of homeschooling! To commemorate this bittersweet occasion, her parents and siblings have written letters in which they share memories as well as hopes for the future. These were added to photographs, stories and essays about Next Sister, and published in a beautiful hardback book. Here is my letter, in which I reflect fondly on some of the many games my sister and I have played together over the years.
Dear [Next Sister],
I certainly do not remember being without you as my constant playmate, close confidante, and fellow conspirator—my sister. The days were full of the elaborate games we played—family, like most girls, but also runaway slaves, Western settlers, English detectives, horses, dogs, wolves, merpeople. We planned clubs, decided how many children we would have (twenty each), and climbed trees. We share so many wonderful memories, and I look forward to the many more we have yet to make. Life with you has always been exciting.
Ah, yes—excitement. I forgive you the time you had me carry the tricycle to the top of the slide, promising you wouldn't try riding down, but would just "sit there and see what it was like." "She's going to kill herself!" I screamed to Mama as you careened down—head first—but you seem to have survived very well the many escapades since.
I admit that I got you into trouble as often as you did yourself. Peanut butter is good for your hair, but next time we'll use old-fashioned Christmas cookies to lure Santa Claus, okay? And now we know that Mama is not really frightened of little girls with underwear on their heads, nor did the occurrence endear us to her so that we got to skip nap-time, as we had hoped.
Do you remember Blue and Pale? We wanted to play family but were in the usual quandary over names. A blue pail lying on the lawn suggested those for the mothers. I was Blue and you were Pale (that's how we spelled it), and between us we had forty children whose names we never could remember. Blue and Pale lasted us years, moving with us from the "Old House" to the "New House." [Biggest Brother] and then [Littlest Sister] joined in the game, and the entire house and yard was elaborately mapped out, divided into houses and public parks and camping areas and stores and parking lots and restaurants and hotels. We rumbled to and fro, pushing Blue's battered old (play) car and sometimes driving the little jeep that had a real motor.
Later we played "City of Atlantis" (in our exciting, new swimming pool where we spent gloriously long summer days), "Silver Birches," "The Three Children Mysteries" and "The Edmund Doubin and Eustace Dooley Mysteries." We played during our free time, while doing chores, while doing schoolwork. There didn't seem to be any end to the kinds of games we could play, the places and times we could play, and the "toys" we could use. Do you remember the character (I forget his name) I made from my eyeglasses to relieve long hours in time-out? (We won't say whose fault those were.)
Life hasn't all been fun and games, though. We have also shared serious moments, and I treasure their memories. We've discussed plans for the future, we've confided in each other, we've studied Scripture together, we've prayed for each other, we've comforted each other's hurts, we've shared each other's joys. I thank the Lord for the gifts he has given me in my sister [...].
It's something of a wonder that we're now both graduated from high school after many years of wonderful homeschooling. Do you remember calculating how many years, how many grades were left? The years have certainly flown by. We were supposed to be quite grown-up by now, but I think we agree that we both have plenty of growing yet to be done! I am so glad we can do it side by side.
I know that you have been worried in the past about "what" you are going to be doing for the next few years. I would like to remind you that God is always, perfectly in control, and he promises that his plans are to prosper those who love and obey him. Devote your life to God, and he will be faithful in guiding you in the ways you should walk. "[T]hine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." [Isaiah 30:21] My prayer for you is that you would continue to glorify God in all that you do, trusting fully in him. That is enough.
I love you very much, [Next Sister], and look forward to witnessing the unfolding of God's plans for you! I know they will be amazing!
Your Sister
Photographs:
1.I give a piggy-back ride to Next Sister. This is one of the many wonderful “old” photographs I scanned into the computer for Next Sister’s book and slideshow.
2.I hold my new little sister with help from Mama.
3.Next Sister and I loved to climb this tree in front of our grandfather’s house. It had just the right slant for scrambling up.
4. Myself and Next Sister pose before one of our favorite toys. Next Sister used to scare old ladies with her antics on this rocking horse
5.Myself and Next Sister, enjoying a family reunion in Colorado, August 2010.
Photograph and text © 2011.
Friday, June 17, 2011