A Sister is a Priceless Gift from God

From the time I was a tiny baby, I was surrounded by love.


Not only the love of my parents, but also of my siblings, grandparents and extended family.


In big families like ours, older siblings often help with younger brothers and sisters.


I was blessed with seven siblings: four older and three younger. In this photo, my sister Kathy is holding little baby me.

What's the value of a sister? Priceless! Don't misunderstand -- I love my brothers, but it's not the same.


Sisters offer an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold.


Sisters watch for you to stumble along life's path and help you right yourself.


Sisters whisper to you in the dark and giggle with you from across the room.


Sisters are a girl's first friends, offering lots of advice and encouragement.

Today, my sister Kathy celebrates her birthday and we all celebrate with her. Kathy's story began in Kentucky, our parents' second daughter.

This photograph of Kathy and Mom was taken on the day of Kathy's Baptism, the day her life was dedicated to God by our parents.

Here's our oh-so-young Daddy with his two precious daughters, laughing and loving the life he was living, unaware of how much his little family would grow in the years to come.

And Mom, younger than I remember her, holding her two little girls, perfectly content in the two little blessings God had bestowed upon her, not knowing how many more blessings were in store.

Daddy was in the Army and was gone far away when Kathy was a baby, so she said good night to him differently than most babies do each night.

Army life means moving a lot -- something the older kids in our family did more than the younger kids. Despite all of the moves, Kathy remembers a lot about everywhere we lived.

Mom and Dad loved us all. You can see in this photo that Kathy was the apple of Mom's eye and Daddy's delight. Of course, they loved us all the same!

Along with Mom and Daddy's love, Kathy learned at a young age about God's great love, a lesson our parents taught all of us. It's God's love to which Kathy would devote her adult life.

Kathy was a happy little girl, filled with God's love then and now. That same trademark smile and laugh still give joyful witness to the love of God.

By the time Kathy was in sixth grade, there were six children in our family. Kathy's helping hands were a blessing for Mom, especially when Daddy was overseas.

This photo of Kathy was taken when number seven, our brother Pat, was pretty young. I'm sure the time spent helping care for younger siblings prepared Kathy well for the vocation she chose to serve God -- teaching children.

Kathy stayed in Leavenworth for her senior year of high school, living with a friend's family. Daddy was stationed in Alabama, but Kathy knew she needed to stay behind and graduate from the small Catholic high school she attended. Our youngest sibling was born in Alabama during Kathy's senior year of high school.

God gave Kathy the gifts she needed to be a great teacher. As she teaches her students math, she also teaches them about God's great love for each one of them.

After college, Kathy answered God's call, joining the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. Although she embraced her new sisters, Kathy remained close to her birth sisters.

On August 12, 1979, with family looking on, Sister Kathy Atkins professed her final vows. For 35 years, Kathy has taught her students with love.

  
Kathy quickly gained the title of Favorite Aunt Kathy as nieces -- and later nephews too -- arrived on the scene. Here Kathy happily posed with four of her five nieces.

Although some of the siblings were scattered around the country, Leavenworth was the gathering place for those who lived nearby. Kathy always loved a good water gun battle!

A favorite aunt's gotta do whatever it takes. Favorite Aunt Kathy was ready to spring into action however and whenever her nieces and nephews wanted to play!

Kathy doesn't miss many of life's important moments with her siblings. The grown-up Atkins siblings posed at Nancy's wedding in 1994.

We joined Kathy and the Sisters of Charity community to celebrate Kathy's anniversary. What a joyous day!

The Kansas core of our siblings: Kathy, Debbie and Pat spent countless hours helping Mom and Dad as they aged.

This is what family looks like to us. All eight of us came home to celebrate Dad's 80th and Mom's 79th birthdays in 2004, bringing most of our families with us.

There's always time to be a little silly. Kathy loves the Kansas City Chiefs and the KU Jayhawks, even when they don't live up to her expectations.

God's love was mirrored by Kathy's love and devotion for Mom and Dad. She's always been just a phone call away when they needed anything.

The younger generation of nieces and nephews know Favorite Aunt Kathy's love for them goes deep, no matter how far away they live.

Favorite Aunt Kathy's kind of a surrogate grandmother to the younger nieces and nephews in the family. She's especially close to the local kids, who she's watched grow up.

What do you get when a favorite aunt becomes a great-aunt? Of course, you get Favorite Great-Aunt Kathy, who's delighted to spend time with the next generation of little ones.

Favorite Aunt Kathy's always ready to laugh and have fun with nephews or nieces -- and greats -- no matter how old they get!

Sister Kathy is faithful to God and cheerfully serves Him through her service to others.

Kathy's patriotism and love of our country were deeply rooted as a child. The feeling of pride Dad felt for Kathy was clear to see, as was Kathy's pride of Daddy.

Kathy's teaching may have been born of Mom's love of learning. Mom always called Kathy "my nun daughter" and was so proud of Kathy.

Our Sister Kathy is a loving daughter and aunt, sister and servant of God. On your birthday and always, I'm so blessed to call you my sister. A sister is a priceless gift and I'm so glad God made us sisters. Happy Happy Birthday, dear Kathy with all my love!!

Winter Weather: Yay or Yuck?

When you hear the words "winter weather," what comes to mind? Do you think of postcard-perfect scenes like this?

Or do you see yourself standing outside in the freezing cold in a ditch somewhere in the middle of nowhere trying to get your car unstuck?

Do you think about sledding fun with the kids and making snow angels? Or maybe making snow cream and enjoying hot chocolate after playing outdoors?

Or do you think about the possibility of walking home as darkness arrives with your car stuck somewhere on the side of the road?

Maybe you remember fun-filled snow days of your childhood spent building snow castles, eating snow and having snowball fights with your siblings and the neighborhood kids.

Do you have memories of building the perfect snowman, even when there was barely enough snow to make it stick together?

Maybe you remember finding the perfect snow-covered hill for snowboarding or tubing and how much fun you had back in the day.

Maybe you remember snow day fun skiing or snowboarding at the nearest resort and look forward to sharing that fun with your kids or grandkids.

If you're like many adults, you don't look forward to bundling up to go out and shovel the car out after the snowplow comes through the neighborhood.

Or driving with white knuckles at granny speeds through snow so deep you have to struggle to keep your car in the grooves so you don't accidentally create your own lane.

And don't forget that evening commute back home in the wintry mix, hoping and praying that your car will make it up the hill.

Love it or hate it, winter has arrived. Whether you're making memories or making tracks on the snowy roads, hang in there and choose joy. The first day of spring is only a couple of months away!

Until then, I'll take what I can get when I can get it and do the best I can to face each day - even those with wintry weather - with a smile on my face, a prayer on my lips and a song in my heart.

Blogging Grandma Sandy, signing off for now.

We Give Thanks for All of These

Thanksgiving is a time we pause to give thanks for our many blessings. We are surrounded by blessings every day, yet we don't always take time to consider just how blessed we are. Let us give thanks for all of these.

Our faith in God renews us and gives us strength through times of trial. For our faith in God and His great love for us, we give you thanks. We live in a land of plenty with enough food to eat while others have little. For our willingness to share with others, we give you thanks.

Each of us has a unique story passed down through the generations. For the gift of our heritage and our ancestors, we give you thanks. Our lives are filled with moments we remember for years to come. For our cherished memories, we give you thanks.

The good Lord gives and He takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. We give thanks for our grandparents, now in His eternal embrace. On this first Thanksgiving without my parents on Earth, I give thanks in a special way for the gift of Mom and Dad. They gave us life and taught us how to live through their actions. For these, we give you thanks. May we offer peace and love to all we meet in their memory and in your loving name.

We have been blessed with good health. When our health fails, we live in a country with doctors and nurses to help and heal us. For these, we give you thanks.

God's grace brings us through every day. As we watch the chaos around us, God calms our minds and our hearts, bringing His peace and comfort. For this, we give you thanks. God is the giver of all life. Through His mercy and love, our children came into our lives. May God continue to bless our family. For the gifts of my husband, our children and our families, we give you thanks.

There's a special bond between a parent and a child that can never be broken. May we always hold our children in our arms and in our hearts. For the gift of children, we give you thanks.

How different our lives would be without our children. They bring us laughter and joy, blessings and love. Our cherished memories of their younger days remind us of who they were as we watch with gratitude to see the people they are becoming. For these gifts, we give you thanks.

From our children came our grandchildren. The mutual love between grandchildren and their grandparents is a wonderful gift. We give thanks every day for the gift of our grandchildren.

Life is filled with blessings, but there are also many sorrows. When difficult times come our way, our faith in God gives us the strength to persevere. Through the darkest of valleys, we know God is with us, guiding and protecting us along the journey. For the gifts of faith and God's guidance, we give you thanks.

Grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws are all a part of our family's heritage. Our extended family is a gift from God. For the wonderful gift of our family, we give you thanks today and always.

Every day, we are showered with gifts. We often take our blessings for granted while focusing on the difficulties in life. May we always give thanks.

The blessings of home and family, memories and life surround us. May we never take those we love for granted. For the gift of love in our lives, we give you thanks.

It's hard to appreciate the sunshine if you've never seen the rain. May we find the blessings in life, even when times are hard. May peace, love and our faith in God sustain us. For all of our blessings, we give you thanks. 

Blessings abound in our world. We touch others with our love and they touch us. Our hands become your hands to help those in need. For all of these blessings, we give you thanks.

Thanksgiving is more than a day. Thanksgiving is a way of life. May we always be grateful for what we have. You offer us your perfect love. May we extend that love to those we meet every day. You tell us to give thanks in all things. Let us give thanks today and every day for all of these and celebrate Thanksgiving every day.

Thanksgiving Through Tears: The First Year of Grief

Holidays were always special in our family. I'm so grateful that my parents gave us so many precious holiday memories as I face the first year of holidays without Mom and Dad.

Although I married and moved out of state when I was only 17, I have many happy memories of childhood Thanksgivings, where Dad spent the day in the kitchen. Mom made our everyday dinners, but Dad was the extraordinaire holiday chef in our family.

Because of work and school schedules, I didn't ever come home for Thanksgiving after I moved to Virginia. Instead, I recreated an Atkins family Thanksgiving for my kids each year. Thanks to my oldest sister, Sue, I have this photo of Dad carving the turkey at a family Thanksgiving celebration.

Whenever I count my blessings, God and family are at the top of the list. We made these gratitude leaves to decorate our Thanksgiving table last year, letting the grandkids write their own. One of the gratitude leaves I made says, "Parents and siblings," among my greatest blessings in life.

In previous years, we also made gratitude turkeys and gratitude trees. For many years, we've each shared something for which we are grateful as our Thanksgiving prayer before the meal.

Life is filled with blessings. From the food we eat to the God we praise, we have so many reasons to celebrate and give thanks every day, not just on a single day filled with turkey and all the fixings.

On this first Thanksgiving without Mom and Dad, I'm grateful that I have a four-generation photo of Mom and Dad with me, Jenny and my grandson Kyle, Mom and Dad's first great-grandchild. Our memories are precious, but photos are an extra bonus.

I'm also grateful to have photos from back in the day of each of my kids with Mom and Dad. In this photo, Jenny and Dad are playing with little people while Mom sits on one of our family's high chairs in the background.

Mom hid her face from the camera, but some of my older photos caught Mom off-guard, like this photo of Mom helping Jenny walk on the windowsill at the Kansas City Airport.

On one of our many visits to Worlds of Fun, I took this photo of Lauren driving Mom in a funny car. Mom didn't ride too many of the rides, but she always enjoyed riding in these cars.

I have farewell photos from many of our visits back home, including this one when Jenny and Lauren were teens. Spending time at Mom and Dad's house will always be a precious memory to me.

Family meant so much to Mom and she passed that sentiment on to all of us. Family gatherings are one of my favorite things in life. Whether it's just me, Kenny and the kids or our extended family, I love spending time with family.

The best thing about memories is that nothing can take them away from us. Even though I'll never see Mom on her front porch again, I'll always remember how happy it made her to sit there, watching the world go by in her corner of the world.

Jack was Mom and Dad's second grandson, born just a few years after his cousin Chris. Although Dad loved all of his grandkids, he always enjoyed spending time with his grandsons.

Dad often made funny faces for the camera, just like Jack does. Maybe it's genetic or just a guy thing, but photos like this one of Dad make me laugh.

As I gather for Thanksgiving with my children and grandchildren this year, I'll feel the presence of Mom and Dad everywhere. From the joy of holidays that Mom exuded to the day spent cooking that reminds me of Dad, I know they'll be there with me as I give thanks.

Mom and Dad and all of our beloved loved ones who have passed before us are with us always in our hearts and in our memories. Nothing can take that away.

One of Mom's favorite sayings was, "This too shall pass" and I know it's true. The first year will be the hardest year for all of us. The pain of Mom and Dad's deaths is still so deep and raw. Although we'll always miss them and the pain of their loss will always be there, the depth of the pain will lessen over time.

 
One of my favorite sayings is, "Life goes on and life is good." Although there's a deep sadness in my heart as I face the holidays without my parents, I choose joy. Life is good and God has blessed me with so many gifts. I will always be grateful for the gifts, especially the wonderful gift of family.

May your family be richly blessed, at Thanksgiving and always. Blogging Grandma Sandy, signing off for now.