Happy Birthday, Jeannie Bean!

Sunday is my sister's birthday. A week or so ago I wrote about how Jean was in the hospital. She'd had chest pains, but tests showed they weren't due to heart attack or stroke, which was a big relief. Thanks to all of you who asked about Jean. I was very worried, and I appreciate your caring thoughts.

In this photo, Jean, on the right, is eight. I'm on the left and I'm ten. Our Mom (now known as "Grandma") isn't in the photo but we're probably wearing clothes she made just for us and that's her piano we're sitting on.

Although we are happy in this picture, we fought plenty back then. Jean was the baby of the family, usurping my place as the youngest of four children. When she was little she had some health problems that put her in hospital for a stretch and kept her on the sidelines of physical activities. I thought she was just plain babied and spoiled, and I'm sure she thought I was bossy and mean. We did have lots of fun time together. We were a military family and moved often. Jean and I kept each other company on the cross-country car trips which took place when Dad got his new orders every other year, and together navigated the world of military bases and constantly changing schools.

Dad left the Marines when I was fourteen, so as teenagers we settled down into civilian life. Jean had her friends and I had mine (with the exception of wonderful Janice, who is still good friends with us both), and we went to separate schools. And I was jealous; Jean had nice straight hair (in style back then) and was thin (always in style). We didn't fight so much but we weren't best friends either. That came later, after we had both married and had careers.

Jean married Dave, fifteen years her senior, and together they raised his three teenage children and their two daughters. When the girls were a little older Jean went back to school, got a teaching degree and became a Middle School social studies teacher and then a testing coordinator. She is very active in her church and quite social and gregarious. She meets many people through her many activities and it seems like she is friends with at least half of them. She is the kind of person who is always running into someone she knows and always stops to chat for awhile. She frequently has people over for dinner or dessert or some kind of gathering. One Christmas she told me that she was going to have a party and invite about ten people that she hadn't had the chance to visit with for a while. I was in awe. I am so not like that and do so admire her for being like that.

Jean leads a rich, full, and interesting life and I'm glad to be numbered among her many close friends.

Happy Birthday, Jeannie Bean! You make my own life richer and more interesting and I love you!