Siblings

I did not grow up with siblings my own age, with my same parents, growing up in the same house, at the same time as I was.  In a lot of ways, I was truly blessed by being my parents' only child.  The fact that both of them were able to devote practically 100% of their love and attention on me for my entire life has certainly shaped me into the person I am today.

That being said, ever since I knew what a baby was, I wanted a sibling.  I never grew out of wanting a sibling, and to this day, it saddens me that I did not grow up with a sibling.  I have very dear friends, I am close with a few cousins, I have half-siblings who are very special, and I am a part of Chris' family and included with his siblings -- all of these are wonderful things, but I do not have my own siblings that I grew up with.

It is for these reasons that I absolutely love watching Tracey, Howard, and Caroline together.  The day-in, day-out sibling relations is what I never had.  The constant living together, playing together, napping together, eating together, talking together, learning together, same parents, all the time, this is the family -- whether you like it or not -- that is what I never had with siblings.

Praise God, Tracey never seemed to dislike her twin siblings.  She needed time to adjust to the major life change.  She needed time to adjust to Mama dividing her attention.  And, frankly, I think she needed to get to know them.

I think, as they are developing more personality, and as Tracey is growing in her role as a big sister, it is just now dawning on her that these are permanent playmates for anything she wants to do.

 Lately, she has been Doctor Tracey and Howard and Caroline are her patients -- and then never complain.  She listens to their hearts, looks in their ears, takes their temperatures, bandages their legs, and gives them shots, and they just gaze up at her with the biggest smiles.

I do not take these beautiful moments of sibling love for granted for a moment.  My heart swells every time I hear Tracey talking to Caroline and Howard.  I smile from ear to ear every time Caroline just beams when Tracey is giving her attention.  The void in my own heart of not growing up with siblings gets a little smaller when I hear Tracey climb in the car after school only to hear her say, "Hi Howlard!  Hi Airoline!  Its Tracey!"

I know there will be hard times ahead -- arguments and trouble sharing and copy-cats and tattle-tales... but all of that is a part of having siblings too, and, Lord, Willing, the result will be that our children grow up to consider their siblings the greatest gifts we have ever given them.