30til30: day 6, rebecca rose

so, we took a great memorial day getaway to cloudcroft, new mexico with several of our friends. i tried to get ahead and it just didn’t happened, so now i’m playing catch-up. i do plan to have this series wrapped up by monday (june 1!), i’m just not sure how all that is going to work out. but regardless, this was the post planned for tuesday, may 26.

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i have 30 days until i celebrate my 30th year of life. i thought i would share with you 30 people, events and situations that have shaped my life and who i want to be. it has been very challenging to come up with 30…i hope it inspires you as it has me. this part of the list is in a specific order.

day 6: rebecca rose

i was five-and-a-half (an important distinction at that age) when rebecca was born. i can vividly remember lying in my bed on the top bunk the night dad drove mom to the hospital, praying in all earnest that the baby would be a boy. i desperately wanted an older brother, but would have settled for a younger brother.

as it turned out, God knew that our family needed a rebecca rose. not a joseph kenneth.

growing up, the three of us girls had a ball together. we rode bikes during the spring and summer, spent days exploring the woods behind our house, built snowmen and snowforts and snow angels on snow-days. we played often with janie and kenneth. the five of us were mostly inseparable. they even helped us weed the flowers when we were grounded.

suzanne and i weren’t always the best big sisters. we bribed rebecca with “little monies” and convinced her to crunch the dead flies in the window sill as we waited for the school bus. she wanted so much to be a “big kid,” but we were always a step or two ahead. she did a great job keeping up as much as her little legs would allow.

rebecca brought laughter and joy to our house. she loves games and singing and playing. she cares deeply about what others are going through and will lend an ear regardless of the circumstances. she values family and will do anything for any of us.

even though as a kid and teenager i didn’t excel at being a big sister, rebecca has excelled at being a younger sister. she wants to be engaged in our lives and ask often about luke. she has taught me a lot about what it looks like to be a true friend to your family, that there is truth in the phase, blood is thicker than water. that’s especially true for rebecca. and i love her for it.