Sisters!

My maternal grandmother was one of five daughters (plus she had brothers).

My mother was one of five daughters (plus she had brothers).

I am one of five daughters (minus any living brothers).

And so it goes.  I have two remaining sisters: Nora Brown, née Onofria Brunogallo, and Zina Brechbill, née Vincenza Brunogallo. Nora was named Onofria after my paternal grandmother and Zina was named Vincenza, the feminine form of Vincenzo, my maternal grandfather. Nora and Zina are the only sisters I have in this world.

We had a great time together in both Maryland and Delaware (Zina’s sons and their families live in Delaware). Below are some photos from my Sister-Time last week. I’ve also included some snippets of conversations. I guess you’ll just have to guess who may have said what!

“Look how small your fingernails are! I wonder who you got that from?”

“That’s mom’s apron you’re wearing. You look so much like her.” Silence. “I miss her so much.”
“You got mom’s sweet tooth.”
“You got mom’s green thumb.”
“Stop making me laugh! My stomach hurts!”….and we laugh and we laugh and we laugh.
“We have the same sense of humor.”
“Here. Wear my shoes. We have the exact same shoe size!”
“I love yoga.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
“Yeah, me, too. It’s such a part of my life.”
“You sound just like mom.”
 “Yeah, that’s something mom would say.”
“OMG! Turn it up! Toni loved this song!”
“Dad loved that movie.”
“Do you remember when…. ” (again and again and again)
“Can I have one of your moonstones? I’ll trade you for this wishing stone.”
“You used to have a big wrinkle right there, just like mine. How did you get rid of it?”
“Lemme see that picture you just took! Delete it! I hate it! I hate how I look in it!”  (Delete. Delete. Delete.)
“Don’t let little Bella fool you! Just the other day, she killed two birds. Awful! Just awful!” (photo of sweet Bella below)
If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people. -Thich Nhat Hanh
Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. -Gail Buckley