In 1995, Claudia Evart founded National Siblings Day. It’s held every April 10 and is a day to honor your brothers and sisters, get together with each other, look at old pictures and talk about the good old days. 

I was telling my sister, Julie, about this national holiday and all our crazy memories came flooding back. When we were young, my parents moved us out of town and purchased a 23-acre pine tree farm. We were like that show “Green Acres,” our father even had us cleaning out stalls of goat poo. When he got home from work there were 14 garbage bags and two proud little girls. He had such a hard time keeping a straight face as he explained what a manure pile was.

To keep us out of trouble, he graduated us to the horse and miniature donkey stalls too.

Julie and I were always looking for a technicality to get us out of trouble. One day, we were cleaning our horses’ stalls and racing to see who could get done first. My first shovel full of manure went over the wall and plopped right on her head! I froze. My life was over. 

Here she comes – horse poo flying everywhere. Right then my mom yelled out to the barn, “Girls! Dinner! Wash your hands!” We ran in the house, washed our hands, and took our seats. Our parents started gagging and asked us what we were doing coming to the table covered in manure? We cleverly reminded them that they only said to wash our hands.

I asked my sister if she could put her two cents in our story and say anything she would like to say about our memories. These are her words: 

“I think about how difficult it must have been for you when Mom and Dad adopted me. You were used to being an only child and then here comes me with lots of issues from the things I experienced before you guys adopted me. Attention taken away from you, having to share your mom and dad with me. I don’t remember much from those first years after my adoption, but I do remember that I always felt loved and protected, especially by my big sister Karin.”

In which I reply: “I loved you from the moment we met. I never even thought of you as adopted. You are my sister. I am proud of you and the woman you have become for a million different reasons. You made our family complete.”

We were 5 and 8 when we became sisters – the best day of my life. I wasn’t lonely anymore. I still laugh every time I hear our favorite song, “Cecilia,” by Simon and Garfunkel – our song. We were the lucky ones. 

Happy Sibling Day!