This past weekend my two sisters, my brother and I enjoyed a “siblings’ reunion” at my brother’s house in the mountains of California. While the idea of a reunion is laughable because we see each other every week or two, it was unusual and interesting to spend three days and nights all together under the same roof.
Liz, Chris, Alexis, Mark
Genetics is fascinating. I remember how surprised I was to see my newborn son sleep with one arm in the same weird position my husband finds comfortable. Still, I knew that physical traits, no matter how insignificant, are passed down through the generations. What is more striking, though, is how similar our family is when it comes to behavior. Domestic habits are good examples. We all make our beds. Every blessed day. If I have somehow neglected to make my bed during daylight hours, I make it before I get into it at night. We all seem to share (in different degrees, of course) a neatness gene. My brother and I are countertop wipers. We did a lot of hanging around the kitchen and I noticed that all four of us value speed and efficiency over finesse. Our unspoken motto seems to be “Just get it done.”
Family Gang
Also included in the reunion: Bill, my spouse; sister-in-law Pam; brother-in-law Steve. And just to complicate family matters, Pam and Steve are cousins (but that’s another story).
If someone had told me when I was 15 that someday my siblings would be among my very best friends, I would not have believed it. Now I can’t imagine what life would be like without them.
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P.S. If you want to read about favorite literary families, Bookstr.com has a list here.
