Monday Memories—Upper Hand

I loved growing up in a big family. With six sisters and three brothers there was always a friend and even if one was mad at you, you still had allies. In our family there was plenty of variety even though most things were done in mass—sandwiches, 4-H projects, pots of potatoes, costumes, pies (I never saw mom make less than 8 pies at a time). I was on the younger end and loved being part of a big family.

One thing, however, that was not insured in our big family was exclusive ownership. We shared dogs, horses, socks, pop, beds, cars, toys, bikes, even my best friend. Pretty much everything was everybody’s. But I had one thing that no one else had; I had a cousin who lived fairly close by who was only eight months older and liked to play with me. When we were young he was in charge because he was older don’t you know. However he had a telescope, a Great Dane and he knew how to safely cross streets at Grandma’s house, so I didn’t mind. I liked him being in charge, except when he was nine and I was still eight, or he was ten and I was still nine and he told me I was too young to do some things.

Casey has good-naturedly used the older card on me for years, but finally, finally the tables have turned. Casey and his wife, Mary Jan (who is a regal woman that writes beautifully like the Bronte sisters) came to Abe and Grace’s reception and, albeit too briefly, it was so good to see them. Now that Casey is forty-seven and pushing forty-eight, he is too old to do with ease so many of those things that sweet, young forty-six year olds like me can still do and I made sure to kindly point it out before he left.