Sons & Daughters, Sisters & Brothers

We are linked by blood, and blood is memory without language.
Joyce Carol Oates

I have been looking at old family pictures and thinking about my siblings and my father. It occurred to me that they are all like him, in various ways. I'm still wrapping my mind around the "nature/nurture" part of it, but for what it is worth, here is just a bit of what I've noticed.

My older sister has his patience and gentleness of spirit, and his willingness to sacrifice her comfort for the greater good.

My younger sister has his faith and his volunteerism. She also has Dad's auburn hair and sense of humor. Her devotion to the family is limitless.

The elder of my brothers has his love of the water, although my brother is more of a fisherman than a swimmer/boater/water skier. They both absolutely love practical jokes. The one my brother pulled on Mom last summer with a Ziploc bag was a classic.

And my youngest brother? Lord, he is most like Daddy of all. Physically they are identical, and in pictures of them as children you would be hard-pressed to determine who is who. He has quietly "manned-up" and become, in many ways, the father. He automatically takes up the burdens that cross his path, and shoulders them quietly as Daddy always did. He also has that same sense of humor, although it has burned less brightly over the past few years, as the stresses of life bear down on him.

As for me, I am the one they found in the cabbage patch........