My Sister

Me and my baby sister

In celebration of her birthday my sister and I spend the day at the Spa. Nothing says "I'll temporarily banish any distress at getting older if I can spend my time doing this" than spending the day in a bathrobe that smells like sunshine and being massaged and anointed with luscious creams and lotions.

We really get into the pampering. A lot of women metaphorically marry their fathers. Trish and I both married our mother. Both Richard and the Hubby are giving, nurturing, let-me-please-you kind of guys. A day at the Spa for us is a day of Rest for them!

At the spa we have lunch in the dining room, in our bathrobes. Trish orders Steak. She used to be vegan but has thankfully come back from the Dark Side. I still remember the cashew "meat" loaf she made once for dinner! 

Me, Trish, our Dad

To know Trish is to marvel at how she makes her way through the world so intuitively. If it doesn't feel right she pays attention to that. Those who are more intellectually driven struggle at times to understand this part of Trish, and vice versa. But I get it...usually. I still have the memory, the physical scar has faded, from when we were kids and she hit me on the head with a bag of coins on the way to school. At the time, when Trish's teacher expressed shock and disbelief that sweet Trish could commit such a violent act, all I could do was think to myself  "IF ONLY YOU KNEW!". But now I have a better perspective (and Lessons from the Beamer) and realize that maybe she just wanted my attention and didn't know how else to get it. My brother-in-law Richard gets this too.

Richard and Trish

Trish also has a nurturing nature. When she was really little she "befriended" a weeping willow tree. She called it Willy. She cared deeply for that tree and when it got destroyed in road construction she was so sad. This capacity for love and nurturing extended to animals. And to our mother when she was so ill near the end of her life. And then to Richard. And now to Scarlett.






For her birthday dinner I make a Carrot Cake. Trish is lactose intolerant so the choice of cake always takes this into consideration. Although there's no dairy in the cake itself it would be only a shadow of itself without cream cheese icing. The baker in me cannot leave it off. I figure she can just eat around it. (I obviously did NOT get the nurturing gene!) Scarlett of course does her usual cake-beautifying with sprinkles and we're off and singing!


Happy Birthday Sis! Love you.