Dear Karla,
Sometimes, I find it hard to believe we’re adopted. The bond we share feels like it’s in our blood. When you hurt, my heart sinks like a crow bar. When you’re happy, my heart turns cartwheels. I know you feel the same toward me.
| Sisters |
You’ve literally always been there for me. At the tender age of eight, you became more than a big sister…you became a second mom to me. I look at the foul way my boys treat each other sometimes, and I’m completely baffled. I don’t get it because you never mistreated me. You always made me feel special, important, and cherished. Well…except for that one time you hung the “I’m a thumb sucker” sign around my neck and made me wear it around the house to shame me into quitting the habit. I know you meant well. Months of therapy fixed me up. (grin)
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| Dean and Karla taking me on one of my first pony rides. |
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| Dean, Karla, and me mid-70′s |
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| Karla’s high school graduation 1980 Me, Karla, Buddy |
From that first car ride home from the adoption agency, you’ve been proud of me. I remember hearing the story of you and Dean taking me out of the church nursery so that you could stand next to the preacher at the back door and show me off to the rest of the church family. I remember how you used to always call me “Whiz Kid” because you thought I was super smart.
You were always there to cheer me on no matter what I happened to be doing. Piano and dance recitals, school talent shows, and rodeo stuff. Remember how you cried your eyes out when I won the Little Miss Topps pageant?
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| My moment of fame and glory: Little Miss Topps 1980 |
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| My wedding day with my brother Dean and matron-of-honor Karla |
The tears. Tears of pride. Tears of goodbye. Tears of grief when we lost our brother and then Buddy.
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| Dean and Buddy goofing off at a family BBQ |
We’ve been through a lot these last few years. A lot of pain and a lot of joy. A lot of tears and a lot of laughs.
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| Karla laughing her head off about something or other |
Karla, I can’t fully describe how happy it makes me to see you and Bubba so in love and so happy and peaceful together. What a gift from God! What a blessing for me to be able to love you both so, so much.
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| Karla and Bubba on their wedding day 2009 |
I feel the same way when I see you with Shields, your soon-to-be daughter-in-love. That girl adores you! Matt is destined for success with two incredible women in his corner who love him and love each other. Shields can enter into her marriage with Matt knowing that you will support them, love them, and let them live their own lives without interference.
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| Karla and Matt |
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| Shields, Mom, Karla, Me |
I will never be able to repay you for the loving support you’ve given me as a momma to my three sons. Thank you for the way you love the boys and for the special attention you give to your fellow middle child, Logan.
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| Karla and Logan (10 yrs old or so) |
Our parents are getting older. I think we both secretly wish our precious dad would go on to be with Jesus. Those trips to visit him in the nursing home are becoming more bitter and less sweet. It’s hard to see our strong cowboy daddy so weak, so vulnerable, so unlike him. The thought of Dad and our brother Dean reunited in heaven comforts me.
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| Dad and Karla |
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| Dean, Dad, and Karla at one of our famous family BBQ’s |
I pray we have many, many more years with our Southern belle, shopper extraordinaire mom, but at some point, it will probably be just the two of us left from our family of five. But we’ll be ok because we’re family and we’re sisters-in-Christ. Adopted by law and adopted in Christ. One permanent, the other eternal.
Sisters…so different yet so the same. Your support and unconditional love buoys me in this raging sea of life. I love you, Karla. Happy 50th birthday!
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| My beautiful sister and me |
