My Irish Twin Shadow

My shadow broke my toys. First day of kindergarten, about to walk out the door and get on the school bus, wearing buster brown shoes, I scowled at my sister as I gave my mother very explicit instructions, “Don’t let her touch my toys while I am at school!” Mom said, “Okay, I’ll put them in the closet. They’ll be here when you return…see.”

It will be forever forged in my memory that after I got off the school bus and walked into our house on Aunt Park Lane in Newtown, CT, I went straight for the closet to check on my toys and found that something was broken. I was so furious I was mad at my sister, then mad mad at mom. Then I cried. Like, how complicated can this be I thought?! At the age of four, I was already acting like an administrator, a secretary, a mother, an older sister or as some might say….a pain in the _____! You got it!

But really what I was was a four-year-old learning to share life, toys, birthdays, and I guess learning to be one of two daughters along with how to be the older sister. Ugh, now I had to share. But seriously, I mean, how smart can a three-year-old be anyway. She needs me! Right?

Cyndi Jo Peterson Hemby was born one-year minus eight days after me. October 9. Spit was on every homemade birthday cake mom baked as we celebrated together, blowing out candles. After some time I didn’t understand why we weren’t having our own special day. But whatever! It was what we did. It was tradition.

Today, I am thankful for the love our mother provided with our homemade birthday cakes and construction paper hats.

As we got older, Cyndi Jo drove me nuts. After the toy situation, and a few years older, I had to punch her in the nose because she wouldn’t stop mimicking me. Another time she let me flip her over my back onto cement. I can’t help it she cried and blamed me. Well….she agreed to let me flip her! Not my fault! And then she followed me around like a shadow until my friends became hers. She irritated the heck out of me. Typical, right?! But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Every year my sister and I are the same age for eight days. Now adults, we have fun and call or text to remind each other that we will be the same age in 24-hours, 12-hours, 3-hours and counting.  Well…we’re both having a birthday, but no matter how we play this game, I am always the one getting older older and still her oldest sibling. Not that it matters now because she no longer listens!

Yesterday I texted my sister, Cyndi Jo to say, “Look at it this way, we’ll both be 55 for one week. That means, at the same time, we’ll both finally have 2-nickels to rub together!!!” Woohoo!!! xoxo”

We laughed. It’s a funny joke and a private joke.

Cyndi Jo texted me back saying, “One of the best times of the year – being YOUR twin!”

If you have read any of my blogs or memoir, you know we had quite the rough patch in our life. So I share this to share that in the middle of the storm, there is always a nugget or two or more to salvage, to pluck out, to cherish, to remember. And for the sake of argument, there is much to remember. But today, it’s about my Irish Twin.

We grew up and grew apart and grew together. Because there is always hope.

I cannot imagine my life without my favorite sister. Well, she’ll say, “Yeah, but I’m your only sister.”

To which I say, “Yeah, but you’re still my favorite!” Then we laugh.

I am forever thankful that she broke my toys because that was the beginning of a life lesson for me to learn what is real and what is truly valuable. It’s not about the offense, but how I grew through the offense and how I found value in the things that won’t fit in my grave.

My sister, Cyndi Jo, has blossomed into an amazing woman who I am proud to call my sister. She has fought the good fight through our upbringing, through her own life’s ups and downs and she survived a near fatal accident in 2012. She has a sparkling and spunky personality. She’s a git-er-done kind of gal. She writes poetry. She has been a confidant, a doting daughter, and an amazing wife to the man who adores her till time ends. She is a devoted step-mother and grandmother to her daughters and grandchildren whom she has given her heart and life to. Before she moved to be closer, they were all she ever talked about. She is reliable, a hard worker and loyal to the end. She will forever be my baby sister who has a sweetness to her that is willing, fights, and loves, grows, and chirps. I am grateful to the gift God put in my path when I was eight-days shy of a year old.

Today I celebrate my shadow, my Irish Twin, my favorite sister, my Cyndi Jo. And I celebrate what I love to call her…my Chickadee. Chirp Chirp.

What is life without a shadow? I can’t picture it.

Happy Birthday to my Chickadee!