Sisters...

This week my sister, Meg, is living with us.  Coincidentally, this week is one of the best weeks of my life.

I love my sister.  (I love all of my sisters and brothers and in laws - to be clear)  To know that she left her life and family to come here to spend a week with mine just blows me away.  Would I do that? Would I be so selfless one day to give up my time simply to bless someone?  I'm not sure.  I would hope so.  But that's just how Meg is - selfless.  She's been a consistent voice in my life - with encouragement, positivity, a lecture or two when I needed it and a real shoulder to cry on.  And, since Gavin's death, she has even stepped it up a notch.  She's always made a point to call to check on us. And her husband, my brother in law Greg, made a point to call Ed to check on him - faithfully once a month.

Meg came here with a mission to help me with the baby... 

with things around the house... with Brian... 

and she has.  

Yesterday she helped me take the Christmas decorations down and put them away which is always a big job.  And last night she stayed with Hope so Ed and I could go see a movie on his birthday!  More on that later.  But honestly?  It's the "sister moments" that are making this visit so worthwhile to me.  Laughing at a memory that only we would "get."  Sitting at the kitchen table talking while Brian is at school and Hope is sleeping next to us.  Watching silly TV shows together.  And, honestly?  I soak up all of her motherly and sisterly wisdom.  Meg is very wise.  Probably more than she knows - and definitely more than her humble self would ever give herself credit for!

Brian has been LOVING having his Godmother here and has had a great time playing with her non stop.  I know this week is going to imprint a strong memory in his brain and heart of his Aunt Meg... which makes me so grateful.

And it makes me so happy that Meg has this chance to get to know Hope!  There was an instant bond. When Meg arrived I was holding a fussy Hope.  It took all of one minute before Meg took her from me and... instant calm.  It was like Hope was saying, "Ahhh...finally.  I've been waiting for someone to show up who knows what the heck they're doing!!"  Ha!  

There's truly nothing better than family - not even just sisters, but family.  I am one of the lucky ones that has four older brothers and sisters that I love very much.  And who I know love me.  And I am happy that Brian and Hope will grow up with lots of Aunts, Uncles and cousins around them - just like I did.

I have never left any of my babies at this young of an age - with anyone!!  But last night Ed and I drove five minutes away to see the new Hunger Games movie.  I knew, obviously, that Hope was in excellent hands.  (She'd be in excellent hands with any of my family members - to be clear!  Don't want to ruffle any family feathers! Ha!)  Ed and I were so excited for our first date in a while and I only texted Meg 4 1/2 times!!  (The last 1/2 time I changed my mind and erased it.  Hee hee!)  Wouldn't it figure that our movie kept malfunctioning?  The screen went black for two long periods.  We were so bummed.  But, in our style - we laughed about the whole thing in the end and walked out with two free tickets to another movie!

Over the next few days we'll be making arrangements to head over to the hospital emergency room to see "Gavin's Birthday Project" through to the end.  I will write about it soon - perhaps tomorrow - and how the project that was supposed to help heal our hearts... has, in the end, left me with a broken heart. Nothing went right - and I'm sick about it.  I have some decisions to make - and that involves all of you that donated money so generously to this.  I want your input - so watch for that post.

Thank you, as always, for loving our family - through the ups and the downs.  I feel like we're all on this crazy ride together.