Brothers and sisters

She told me her brother was, "so annoying."

He told me his sister was, "not that smart for her age."

Every day after school they meet up halfway between my classroom door and the door first graders leave from.  They clutch each other's hands tightly and walked together to meet their big brother and then walk home.  The big brother has a long suffering look on his face when he meets them, like he can't believe this is his lot in life.

He is also watching for them intently over the heads of shorter children.  Aggravated as he looks about having to wait for them, I get the sense he'd do battle to protect them if needed.  

If that's not what it is like growing up with siblings, I don't know what is.

***

I had Relief Society last night, which was perfect this week with Adam away.  It was a progressive garden party, which is something you can do in Utah County for Relief Society.  We started in one lovely yard and had salads.  We walked next door and had sandwiches and then walked next door and had desserts.

It did not come easily for me to make friends in our ward.  I am introverted and if I don't know someone, I would rather not.

I'm glad that I kept trying.  I'm glad that things like callings and ministering assignments propelled me along, because I have friends.  I sat by someone different in every yard.  I heard about a scary diagnosis in a hushed aside from a dear friend.  I complimented someone else on her jeans.  Someone asked me how school was going.  Someone told me about her job.  A teenage son wandered in and his mom told him in no uncertain terms to leave.  We all said he could stay, but she gave him a very firm no.  Then she told us that he was there to sell something to raise money for a school trip, right in the middle of the guest speaker.

It cracked us up because we are also mothers and we get it!

There was laughter and chatter all along.  Highs and lows and everything in between.  We had a guest speaker in the sandwich yard.  She gave everyone one of those glow stick bracelets and said that we should let our lights shine.  In the waning light, up and down the rows of chairs, women helped put the bracelets on each other, because it was pretty impossible with one hand.

If that's not what it is like being a sister in Relief Society with stellar women, I don't know what is.