Once Again, Change is the Thing

It's Thursday evening and I'm not doing a "Friday Show and Tell - and Twin Update." I will not be posting pictures for a twin update - maybe ever again. It is a sad fact of life, but one I have to live with. I regret terribly, my impulsive deletion of all my pictures on Flickr - I didn't recall the consequence, that all of the pix would disappear from my posts! So sad.


I have not written anything for a week. Many thoughts are running through my mind. I have missed you all during this unexpected, unplanned bloggy break.


9/ll - my sister's birthday for the last 60 years, and the last seven years, a date of infamy. It was hard for my sis to have this birthday for the first few years after the tragedy. I haven't written about my sister, who has always been my best friend. V was born two weeks before my first birthday. We are always "twins" for two weeks. We loved it when we were kids. The only problem - I always knew what I was going to get for my birthday two weeks later. Same at Christmas.


We don't do big birthday gifts in our family, but V and I always do something - sometimes lunch, sometimes breakfast, usually something "autumn-y" for our houses. Today I did something fun. She still teaches (ESL in middle school - English as a Second Language). She's a good teacher. I went back to the middle school my kids attended years ago and surprised her in her classroom. I was glad to see that she has an actual classroom - there have been years when her program was so undervalued that she was stuck in the janitor's closet as her students came to her for their classes. She has one more year of teaching and then we'll be able to get together for lunch more often.


Today I gave her two pictures that I had scanned and framed for her - one frame from H*bby L*bby was specifically for a Sisters picture.

Here we are about 4 and 3 - taken while Dad was in college in St. Paul, Minnesota - Mom would have been all of 22, and was dealing with mono and 3 kids. That's me the blonde, and her with the glasses - she got them at age 2. Note the beautiful wall behind us? We lived in the basement of the boys' dorm - we played church, as always, with me "playing the piano" by sitting backwards on the steps, my little legs swinging as I sat pretending to accompany the singing. Our life was all about church. Hmmm. Some things never change - I'm still accompanying singing at church, mostly on the organ.

We LOVED our circle skirts! This was taken in Heber Springs, Arkansas.

If you hear of anyone who can't find me and would like to be invited to read my private blog, please have them e-mail me so I can add them. It is so sad that this is necessary, but you do what you have to do. I have done a lot of thinking about this blogging thing this week. Why is it so important? Is it important? I came to the conclusion that many of us have lately - it can become consuming and can take up too much time. But it has become such a big part of our lives and we've formed such close friendships that it is hard to fathom saying good-bye forever. So, for me, it IS important - it is a lifeline I have found and has been some of the most fun I've had. Some in my life just don't get it - but for me it's not only prayer support and good laughs and new information and just plain fun to have new friends, but it's been a way to bring writing back into my life, something I had neglected for too long. God has used this for such good - look no further than the healthy twins to validate that fact.

I have been looking at the reality - I will miss making new friends who happen across my site and find something they like. It is sad that someone else's actions have forced me to go underground, so to speak. But, as decided, a private blog is better than none at all - and I can keep in touch with those who really want to.

Thanks for your friendship, your prayers, the enjoyment you have brought me as I've kept up with your lives.