The family time machine.

“The happy family is a myth for many.” ― Carolyn Spring

My friend pondhopper recently wrote a post about sisterly relations, and mentioned that "dealing with her is worse for my health than what ails me," which I thought was a clever way to express the situation. It also reminded me of my own troubled relationship with my sister Laurie, who I saw for the first time since the pandemic on Mother's day, when all of us gathered for the first time as a family. 

You'd think that something like a pandemic would keep everyone on their best behavior and sure enough, it was actually a really nice day. No one fought, the food was delicious, and the conversation around the dinner table flowed nice and easy. I honestly didn't want it to end. 

I do know, however, that Laurie had been coached by my father to be on her best behavior, and given what had occurred Thanksgiving 2019, the last time I saw her, I am not surprised. In contrast, that was an evening I couldn't wait to end, and something we all still talk about (well, maybe not my sister Laurie) to this day. 

Laurie is a resident of Nevada, so it was her first time back home for Thanksgiving in over 30 years. It will probably be her last. So much bad happened I am not sure I have the room to type it all up. In fact, because of that, I did a quick check and I don't think I ever did write about it, although I thought about doing so many, many times. 

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