true boy tales: My BIG BRAVE little sister

Saturday, October 17, 2009

My BIG BRAVE little sister

Okay, I'm pretty sure 99% of the people who read my blog also read my sister's blog but I've been wanting to dedicate a post to her recently anyway because she's been filling up about 30% of my thoughts these days. So if you don't read her blog, her husband left for Basic Training with the National Guard about a week and a half ago. They have two little girls about the same age as our two and only live about 3 minutes from our house. Seth's going to be gone somewhere around 16 weeks total with 2 weeks home at Christmas. As soon as we found out about him joining the Guard and having to leave for such a long time, I knew instantly that's why God gave us this house so close to them. I feel a HUGE burden for her all the time. Every time Jon is helping me with both kids I feel a sense of regret and sadness for Bethany. And any time I read a post on facebook or hear someone complaining about their husband being gone for a few days, I want to shout, "You think that's bad?? Think about my sister!" I've always wondered how in the world a single parent does it- never having that second set of hands to feed, change, hug, discipline, play with and cuddle their kids. And unfortunately my sister's experiencing it first hand. So far I've tried to help when I have time with mundane things like laundry and dishes but that's just a teeny tiny drop in the bucket to the help you get from your spouse. I love her and am so proud of her for what she's going through on her own. And it makes me appreciate every little thing Jon does to help with our boys, not to mention having that strong supportive role here who fills up so much of my life and heart and home. I'm so glad for the person Bethany will have become at the end of all of this and the day he returns will probably be happier than her wedding day but I'm so sorry for the long road its going to take to get there. I'm praying for her a lot and wish I could stay at her house with her (unfortunately our 2 year olds fight like siblings and usually stresses us both out after 20 minutes of it!! :).
You can do it Bethany. You will make it. God has you held so tightly in his grasp right now and is catching every tear.

2 comments:

i'm B.October 17, 2009 at 8:38 PM
thanks, have. i'm so thankful for you and all the things you do for us. even your thoughts for us are meaningful to me. you're an amazing sister, friend, and aunt. i'm so glad my girls are growing up with you in their lives. and i don't know what i'd do without you in mine!
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CarolOctober 18, 2009 at 7:13 PM
you girls are so sweet, and so lucky to have each other so close... thinking of you bethany!
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for the book lovers {my recent favorites}:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: An incredibly haunting medical memoir. There's a lot of medical info to read through but I didn't find those parts boring and difficult to wade through. I thought she shared just enough. But if you like a book that's easy to read, this isn't it. I couldn't get this one out of my mind for a very long time. An unforgettable true story.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty: I'm just going to lump these two together because they're in the same category. I'm calling them deep chick lit. A perfect summer book to get lost in. Read them. Both. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that you will LOVE them. (I liked them both way better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner: Most of my favorite books have a main character with a whole lotta grit. I wasn't quite sure about this one when I first started it but, oh, did it sweep me in and not let me go til the last page. I also love a book that makes me "emote out loud" as I like to think of it. This one had me smiling all the way through and crying my eyes out at the end. It follows a young girl through her life in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. A must read for anyone who likes Historical Fiction.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. I LOVED this book. Its a very well researched historical fiction novel about a young girl kidnapped from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. It follows her through her whole life and the unbelievable heartache and trauma she lives through. I've been telling people I liked it as much as Unbroken but the main character is so much more endearing and has so much spunk.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. I have a thing for modern day memoirs of utterly heartbreaking stories (Like Breaking Night and Blackbird). This is a Foster mother's first-hand account of the children she took in over the years and the unbelievable trauma they went through before they came to her.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I loved this lighthearted yet emotional story of a strong woman making the best of a hard life in the Southwest, beginning in the 1930's. I love her writing style--just cuts to the point of every story without too much "fluff" and yet tells it in a way that you can picture everything in vivid detail. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, is one of my all-time favorites, and this true-life novel about her grandmother didn't disappoint.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Modern day fiction about a girl raised in Foster homes and her struggles throughout life. She learns about the Victorian Era language of flowers and that becomes a huge part of her life. I finished it in two days. An easy read but very emotional and moving.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. The true story of a man's experience after Hurricane Katrina when he decided not to evacuate in order to look after several properties he owned. Quite an unbelievable story and so hard to believe this happened in the US only a few years ago.