Faith Adeline

Today my sister, my youngest sister, celebrates her twenty-second birthday. Happy Birthday!!

There are 4 sisters in my family. I am the second child and Addie is the fourth. Dad called me 'seconda', which is Latin for second and he called Addie 'chiquita devita delegre' which is Spanish for Little Party Girl. Those names have been very fitting, even from our younger years. I was always the one to follow the first child, although I was Little Miss Loudmouth and the child that Grandma remembers praying that I would live through my third birthday. A little sweet, a little bold, a little 'color in the lines'. That was me.

And while everyone can quickly see that Addie resembles me in some things, it's also apparently that whatever she did, she did better. Much sweeter, much bolder, and she knows exactly when to "NOT" color in the lines. Keeps the rest of us on our toes, ya know. About 6 years ago, she grew up. A tall sixteen year old with gorgeous long hair and a winning smile, and yet she still needed to grow into herself, as they say. She took to working outside the home better than me. She became fast friends with all her co-workers and was invited to parties with them. I always thought that was odd, but she lived it up, wherever she was. "Not enough evers", was her motto.

After I got married, we had a year or two when our friendship needed adjusting. She was learning how to be diligent and content with being single, after that rush of a year when the older three were married within nine months of each other. And I was learning how to remember what it was like being single. We've become so close over the past couple of years. Whenever my husband is out of the house for a meeting, she'll be over 'in a jiffy'. And we call each other on the phone frequently, even though we live in the same town. But I'll be sure and call her on her next birthday, since she'll not only live in a different town, but in a different state.

So, happy birthday, little sister. The twenty-second year is our match up year. I got married when I was twenty-two and I told you, you would get married in four more years, did I not? You should have been my older sister so I could look up to you, but age doesn't matter so much anymore and we can be best friends as we learn to love each other and encourage each other in the years to come.