Virginia Blackwell
Since my big sister Jan was already 4 years old when I was born, I have known her all my life. We loved each other very much, and I will always miss her. So many memories, so one from childhood, one from when we were young mothers, one from our shared widowhood.
Childhood: playing weddings by marching around our house past the row of lilies of the valley to the front stoup, which became the altar for our ceremony. Draped in old lace curtains and whatever finery we could find, she was always the bride!
Young mothers: summer visits with the cousins playing together on the beach or backyard while we sat together and talked.
Widows: a week together in Florida every January. Our favorite repeat things to do included a dolphin cruise on the bay, shopping in Naples (we rarely bought anything except at Best of Everything), the Naples Botanical Gardens, a catamaran cruise out of Marco Island, and--my favorite--sitting on the balcony watching the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.
