Thanksgiving – Two Turkeys, But Oh How I Love One of Them.
There are so many things to be thankful for this holiday. It goes without saying that family and friends top that list. I would like to dedicate this Thanksgiving to my little sister Marisa, who qualifies as both.
After eating dinner with my family at my grandparents’ house in Sun City, I drove my little sister to UCLA to spend the night with me (so my parents can do their crazy Black Friday shopping without having to worry about her.)
To paraphrase, after eating turkey, I got to bring another little turkey back to school with me. Well, to be fair, I guess there were two turkeys crossing California tonight in that car, since I am her equal at being a crazy goofball.
Once back at UCLA, we deep-cleaned my kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room…pretty much the entire apartment. And no, I didn’t make her clean for me, she just started going at it, partially to pass the time of the early night, and partially because she was a bit disgusted with the mess.
But we had a blast.
As we cleaned and scrubbed, we talked, and we sang, and we shared noodles. But we mostly talked. Never before have I felt so close to my sister. I feel as if I could tell her anything. And I love to hear about all of her high school adventures. At fifteen years of age, we are surrounded by inputs–teachers, parents, peers–all giving advice. But sometimes, the one thing we lack at that age is a good listener, and I hope to be that to my little sister.
From what she has told me, which is the raw, uncensored tale of her high school experience thus far, all I can say is: wow.
I am so damn proud of my little sister.
She is a terrific student, kicking butt at her new school. She’s smart. She’s gotten into tip-top shape for the cheerleading squad and is one of, if not the, most skilled girl on the team. She’s talented. But that’s not what I am most proud of her for. I am proud because she has something that I, in comparison, lack, and that is a keen social awareness that is beyond her years. She is sensitive to other’s feelings as well as her own, past and present. Moreover, she has the ability to anticipate other’s feelings, and has show me that she can make decisions not based on brash ‘feelings of the moment’, but based on a forward-thinking mentality of both logic and emotion. Sure, I can make predications about a future event based on logic very well, but once emotions are involved, I’m a lost sailor. My sister would be a captain.
So among all the tangibles and intangibles I am thankful for this holiday, today one person stands out in my mind. My confidante. My little fellow goof-ball/turkey. My sister.
Thank you, Marisa.
Tags: family, love, Marisa, sister, Thanksgiving
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