Why My Sister and I are Best Friends

Okay, so I've been MIA for quite a while and there are reasons really . . . really I swear. My part-time job became full-time which I am totally stoked about, but does require more of my time. I'm also blogging for the museum (where I work) now. More than that life has been . . . overwhelming to say the least. I was going to do some kind of fun light-hearted post about . . . something, but this week really hit home why my sister is my best friend and vice versa.

I'll start by saying the last 3 years has sucked . . . out loud. And, yes this has everything to do with the title of this piece. Anyway, I'm a teacher that now has a job I looooooove!! The museum I work at is amazing, but 3 years ago I ended up in a school that made me hate teaching. Now, my friends will tell you, this wasn't the case before. I loved to teach, I couldn't wait to get to school each day, but the 2nd school I ended up in sucked the fun out of everything. To top is off, my dog Lucy (lab-rhodesian mix) got really sick. She was only 5 and I took her to every vet and specialist I could think of. Unfortunately, nothing worked. I came home from a horrible day at school to discover my dog has passed away while I wasn't there.

I was devastated. Thankfully, my sister was there waiting for me. The first thing she did was hug me then she asked me what I wanted to do. I said, "Bury her." I grabbed a shovel and started digging. My mom pulled my sister aside and said, "What are you going to do?" Her reply, "Get a shovel and help her." Now I have to explain to you that Lucy wasn't a small dog. She topped 100# easy so burying her was an enormous task, but my sister was right there with me.

To make a long horrible story, short and horrible over the next 3 years my mom shattered her hip and had to go into a rehab facility, my beautiful cat Fiona (who had been sick for nearly 2 years) died, I fell and broke my leg, my Mom died, and my aunt died. If all this wasn't true I'm sure I'd be laughing by now, but no such luck. All of this leads me to the last month and a half.

My sister's cat Saoirse (Maine coon calico) got really sick. My sister got her when she was a kitten and she helped my sister get through a divorce and 3 moves. She took her to the hospital where they admitted her and where she stayed for 5 days. After coming home, Saoirse really did act like she was feeling better. She was eating everything and drinking, but then the seizures started. Two days ago I got a phone call at 4:40 a.m., it was my sister and she was crying hysterically on the phone. You got it, Saoirse had had a massive seizure and died. I threw on clothes and raced over there where I picked both of them up and brought them both back to my house. My sister wanted to bury Saoirse right next to Lucy and that's what we did. There I was at 5:15 on a Wednesday morning digging a grave in the dark of my back yard for my sister so we could bury her cat.

And this is why my sister and I are best friends. I hope for you, that you have a best friend that will go to the lengths that we go to for each other. And I swear, my next blog, will be funny.

--GC