I am the eldest of three siblings. I’m ten years older than Leanne and twelve years older than Catherine. For ten years I had asked my parents for a brother or sister and for ten years I had no idea what it took to get a brother or sister. I suppose I thought that they just kind of asked God for one and like Christmas morning the gift just showed up.

So at age ten my parents introduced the very exciting idea that I would have a sister through the process of adoption. I had no idea how that worked either but one day a lovely lady came and talked to us. Then a few months later Mom and Dad showed up with a little dark haired girl. I had no idea what would be happening at the other end of that exchange and the heartbreak that a woman somewhere would give birth but not keep her baby. I just knew I was excited that God had given us this small girl, and that she was now my sister.

It didn’t seem long after that and it was time for another family meeting. I was getting another sibling, a brother or sister. I think at some point my Dad told me it would be a girl. That’s a vague memory and of course I had no idea how you could tell that the baby would be a boy or a girl. I did by then know how babies came about!

And so Catherine arrived. Her name was Catherine -not Cathy announced Mom. I suppose Cathi is not Cathy…but that’s between her and Mom.

…by the way – these photos are from my Dad’s slides…yes I could edit them. But here she is – or was – at age one!

And so we have our birth order. And I think all three of us would agree that the sentiments are correct as labelled on those mugs. Now here we are many years later at a family gathering for Rachel’s birthday. We live far apart. Us in Edmonton of course, Leanne in Tampa and Cathi in Uxbridge. But we’re siblings – you can’t take that away and I make the rules, Leanne is the reason for the rules and the rules don’t apply to Catherine!