How can we say goodbye?

That is the title of the song the Tift County Chorus sings at the end of every school year. I think it is very appropriate as we watch Carol and Joe drive off towards the mountains, littering the way with discarded possessions but taking all the memories with them.

In my childhood Carol was the one who got us in trouble.

I know it was she who convinced Jimmy to be a monkey and swing from branch to branch till he lay there dangling and gasping for air. I had to share in the spanking that followed. She was the queen of the bedroom we three shared. She arranged it and assigned spots. That is why I can sleep on the floor with only a thin blanket to throw over my shivering body. In our teen years she designed and sewed our wardrobe. We had swatches to indicate our choice for the day since we all wore the same size. Guess who got first choice? She introduced me to the wild side of life when I visited her in Jacksonville after graduating high school. I don't think I was quite ready for bar hopping.

When I became a mother, she sent clothes for Jennifer and flew me and Jen down so I could show off my baby to everyone. She was with me when Helen was born and still bears the mark in her palms to prove it. She has kept my children at various times when I was dealing with family crisis elsewhere. I would still be stuck in PA if she hadn't come up and driven the car back down for us. I think everyone knows from her blog the things she has done concerning Timothy.

Ours has not been a perfect relationship. We have had our moments. I certainly don't want to diminish Susan in any way either. To me the definition of family is to know the faults and overlook them and to love in spite of. I hope we will always be "of one heart."