May 10th, Another Would-Be-Age Day

It is May 10th.

It is my sister, Nel’s, birthday, the second one since her death, March 28, 2011.

She would be 65.

Birthdays followed by would-be-ages are bitter sweet.

My dad’s birthday was in April, and it was a heck of a day to get through for me, even though he passed away in 2002.

Today, I searched my blog posts for the following video. It was taken on Thanksgiving Day, 2008.

My sister was showing signs of what would later be diagnosed as early onset Alzheimer’s, but you sure can’t tell it here.  As you can see, her joy was still as contagious as her voice was strong.

I have clicked on this video again and again, today.

I sing along. I laugh. I cry. I whisper how much I love her and how much I miss her.

The words and the simple melody of the song give me the strength and courage to continue down this crooked path of life.

Our harmonies are as familiar as they are comforting.

There we are, Nel, mom and me and somehow it seems like only yesterday, although I am fully aware that it is today.

Nel is dedicating the song to my daughters, Tovi and Lissi. My sister adored “her girls”. And, “her girls” adored their Nel.

It is May 10th.

I love you, Nel.

Click to learn more about my extraordinary sister on the Alzheimer’s Association’s website.