Happy Birthday

Daddy, LaDale, Mema, baby Jenafer 

Jenafer, with the gorgeous hair, and Keryn, with the unruly hair

There was a time, in middle school, when people thought we were twins.

I didn't mind, but then again, I was the younger sister.

We shared a bedroom--she is a morning lark, and I am a night owl.  (That made sharing a room fraught with tension.)  From a very young age, we shared same size in clothing (though not in shoes).  She was one grade ahead of me in school, so we were at the same school 10 of the 12 pre-college years.  When my parents "gave" the old van to their teenagers, she and I were the only drivers living at home, so we shared that, too.  She was quiet and unassertive (through stubborn), and I was (and still am) anything but.

Despite all this forced togetherness, we rarely had all-out fights.  We didn't back-bite or hold a grudge, as some of my friends did with their siblings.  Although our differences were many, so were our similarities:  Camping, crafting, reading, singing.  

And as we have gotten older, the things we have in common outweigh the differences.  She has taught me about child care, about homemaking, about being patient, long-suffering, Christ-like, generous and compassionate.  She is a wonderful example of a woman of God.

Happy birthday, Jenafer.  I love you.