Musings from Graceland

A STAR DANCED

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There was a star danced, and under that was I born.
- William Shakespeare

Four very special females in my life were born this month. We celebrated B's 13th birthday earlier in the month, tomorrow is my sister-in-law Deidra's birthday, and we'll celebrate the 3rd birthday of little Miss M, pictured above, in just a couple of days. But today I want to take the time to rejoice in the life of my Cousin Beth who is holding my last baby in her arms. Beth and I were blessed to be born in the same year. During the first years of our life, our relationship was often not that great. She thought I was jealous of her and that I was copycatting her, and I, of course, just knew it was the opposite.

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But when we were both 11 years old, my parents made the important decision to move us back to my dad's old stomping grounds, the gulf coast where he had grown up and the majority of his kin folks still lived. On one fateful day, as my brother and I waited at my cousins house for my parents to get back from going somewhere or other, we three got very, very silly. Beth lived in a very tiny house, probably only 4 rooms big. This was before the days of cable, VCRs, and Wii games. So...we had to make up our own fun and we sure did. We still to this day remember one of us saying to eat a banana "in your ear".

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On that day, something changed. And the two cousins who had been rivals up til that point, became best friends....closer than just cousins, true sisters of the heart.

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During our college and early adult years, we grew apart as sadly happens sometimes when life (and boyfriends) seem to take us in different directions. By our mid-20's, Beth was married and had already started a family. I was off gallivanting as a single missionary in Africa.

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But somehow, someway, we figured out that the old saying, "blood is thicker than water" definitely applied to us. And bit by bit we found each other, and our unique friendship, over again.

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We don't get to talk or see each other nearly as much as I'd like. Calling each day to report on and analyze the day's happenings after just riding home on the same school bus from the same school is something long ago relegated to the memories of the teenage years. Its been over 20 years since I slept over at her house and listened to Aku-Aku by Styx repeat over and over again on the tape she had recorded as we talked and giggled about boys til late in to the night.

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But now we're here. We've both been through things harder than we could ever imagine...back in those days when the hardest thing we faced was a break-up with a boyfriend. Our scars are there to prove it...but so are our years of experience, and growth, and even wisdom. And so is the depth of our love...for our children, our husbands, our friends, and in our case, for each other...uniquely cousin-friend-sisters.

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I love you , Beth, and look forward to the years to come. Who knows where life will take us...but I know one thing, I never again want to let it take me away from you.

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Happy Birthday, Beautiful One!

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