These are pictures I had to scan from an old photo album of mine, and the young woman in them is perhaps the funniest woman I have ever known…….my sister Sarah.  And since I appear to be in somewhat of a remembering phase in my blogs, and since I posted mainly about Steph last night, I thought I would talk a bit about Sarah tonight.  Sarah passed in 2004.

And yes, that is a raccoon with her on the right, we need to just put that out there, and yes it is hers, although she did not bear him herself.  But that raccoon was my first nephew…….Biff.  My second nephew, her oldest human child is Griff, and her daughter is of course named Katie giving up the pattern.  Her husband Steve (as well as husband Gary) were both told by me that they were insane BEFORE they were married, but Gary got to live a more serious existence, whereas Steve did not.  I always thought that Biff may have been her payback for the time she, Steve, and I were driving back to Mishawaka from my Aunt Susie and Uncle Phil’s house and Sarah was in the back.  I was driving and at a good clip when this raccoon appeared out of nowhere and BAM!  I hit it without even having the opportunity to slow down, and since we knew it could not have even survived we kept going.  Steve leaned over and mentioned that I suppose we were lucky that Sarah was asleep in the back, and it was then that I saw her face.  She was not pleased, as if I could do anything, but Biff may have been Steve’s compensation and Biff’s visit to my house after graduating from seminary where he got into my pool and single paw-edly popped $6000 worth of inflatable pool toys may have been mine. Katie and Griff have been a blast (as is Amelia, Steph’s daughter) and none of them feel like payback at all.
Steph’s

But Sarah we used to call “Fish,” as she was always swimming at the pool.  She always had a joke, and often wrote her own, and even if no one would laugh she would.  Her speech classes in high school and college both included instruction on how to “bunny hop” of which she was not just a big fan, but owned her own personal set of ears.

Sarah made people laugh, and did so with ease.  She didn’t seem to take herself very seriously and just always seemed to be wearing a smile.  Oddly enough, I was the one who taught both my sisters to drive and I had a stick shift.  Neither one picked it up quickly, but Sarah nearly killed us.  She just laughed it off though, and kept at it.  She lived on her own terms and it was pretty fun to see.  She and Steve even got married when he was home on leave and she told our mom and dad months later!  (I would have LOVED to see that!) But she was just that way, very comfortable with herself….at least that is the way I saw and experienced her.

And I with both of them was the big brother.  No, they couldn’t give a dang what I thought back then, but where we grew up being that protective big brother was just what you do.  But I never got to do my job.  My best friend Randy and I were one day hanging out front when some kid said some boys had Sarah pinned down about a block away and they were trying to kiss her.  Randy and I took off to get them, and when I say get, I mean beat them to a pulp….this was my sister.  Sure enough, we turned the corner and there was a guy, a neighborhood kid, trying to kiss her.  We never made it there in time, but in retrospect I bet that kid wished we would have……Sarah got a leg free and kicked him in the groin so hard that I am sure he needed surgery to stop singing soprano years later.  She said she was fine and I laughed pretty hard.  Both my sisters could take care of themselves.

Later in life we all connected differently.  We all shared in the care of our mom in her early stages of Alzheimer’s, but Sarah took on the lion’s share.  She was a good daughter, a good mom, and good wife, and a great sister.  (I put good in all the others as I am not qualified by role to define!)  And quite honestly I miss her a lot.

You know, God blessed me deeply to allow me to grow up with these two goofballs, (the one I write about tonight is their QUEEN).   I am the oldest of my dad’s five children (that he knows of) and each one of us brings something unique to our family.  Steph and Sarah have left a big hole in our hearts, too big to fill in fact, but really we shouldn’t even try as neither of them would probably want us to.  They were just great people, and my only regret is that I would have taken the time to spend more time with them, or write down some of Sarah’s stupid jokes.  Here are the two I will leave you with (they are riddles)

Q: What is green, wears a cape, flies around and fights crime?   A: Super Pickle (from a book)
Q: What kind of pickle can you just not cut?  A: A sweet pickle (yes, a Sarah nee Tirman Kentner original)

I miss you Fish and I love you!  See you (hopefully not too) soon!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.  I am off to play some bunny hop music!

Tommy+