20 yrs since the passing of my sister. We talked about getting old together and sitting in rocking chairs chatting about our lives. Instead, she died Oct. 29th, 1996, unexpectedly at 41. We were similar but different. Close but far away. Always in each others hearts. She is missed by her family, children, and her many friends as well as me. My fondest memories is laughing together and sailing on Bay Lake, Mn. where we enjoyed the family cabin and were known as "the best sailors on the lake." We loved to own many bikini's and some we made, sew our first day of school dresses, and raid the refrigerator an hour after supper. I teased her relentlessly. She took it with grace until the day I got what I deserved!:) We looked sorta alike. However, she resembled more of Mom's side and I more of Dad's. Our hair color, skin and eye color were the same. She was smart in school and good grades came easy. I always struggled. And she made friends easily and many were also mine. She wanted to become a music therapist and I wanted to be a fashion designer. But life got in the way. Instead, she married first and I married last. She had three kids and I had one. We both moved out of Minnesota for awhile with our husbands. We both also returned to the state and stayed.
My sister struggled with mental illness and the first sign of it that I recall was when she was 14. It was in her sudden loss of interest in the things that made her happy and laugh. It went undiagnosed because back then it was 1969 and little was known about depression. Her depression manifested itself through our days together as teenagers. By 1996 she had fought the illness for 27 years and could not go on.
Take time to be with your siblings, your kids and your spouses and family because you "just never know" when the tide will change into loss.