Happy Birthday, Sis!

She was born in 1946 on December 5.  So many of my childhood memories are associated with her.  I remember her running to the springhouse to fetch some peanutbutter for a sandwich for me at Grandma Bess's.  The springhouse was not her favorite place. Snakes.  So she made me go right along with her.  When I was not quite, but almost, five she married Jimmy Cooke, who was our mailman and also our neighbor - he lived across the street and up one house with his widowed mom.  That was in 1965.  I remember the wedding well and visits over to the Cookes before Sis and Jimmy moved to a new subdivision in Aspen Hill. Sis and Jimmy took me with them quite often on vacations (mom and daddy really didn't "do" beach trips and such).  Even after their own children came along, they always made me totally welcome and a part of the family - I still think of her children almost more as my brothers and sister than my niece and nephews.  Our lives were very intertwined for many years.  One of the really wretched things about living so far away from Virginia is how little time we get to spend together anymore, but whenever we do, I always absolutely enjoy it.  She worked in Robert Kennedy's office before the assassination.  She ended her working career as a secretary for the Director of the FBI. She's my one and only sister - well, except for all my sisters in laws, each of whom I dearly love, but the relationship with Sis is definitely different.  Sis, I thank the good Lord for you every day and ask His blessing on you and yours!  Thanks for all you've given to me and to all our family across the years.  God grant you many more!

Remember the blue long dress with cape you wore for prom, with the necklace of pearls?
Remember the red car and trips to the Bay or Ocean City?
Remember the days you and mom went grocery shopping and came home to make big fat tuna sandwiches with juicy tomatoes on them?
Remember the swimming lessons at the pool near your house?
Remember a tableful of little Cookes in the basement kitchen, munching on breakfast at night?
Remember the horrible day when you and I had to take care of Daddy and neither of us knew what to do?
Remember the trip to Rachel's daughter's house?
Remember picking out what mom would wear in her coffin, knowing that she couldn't argue with us about it this time?
Remember the various meals together at Cracker Barrel?
Remember?

That's Sis in the red skirt at a family reunion at Granddaddy's in the mid 1960's

That's most, but not all, of Jimmy and Sis's family at a family reunion at their home in June of 2005

Sis, Maupin and I