Reflections & Family

Sometimes when I'm blog-hopping, I find that I have more in common with European bloggers. 

Most of them don't seem to have the sprawling homes that many American bloggers have. 

Many of them live in apartments, as I do. They seem to follow the loose dictates of "simple living."

Of course there are exceptions. But I feel more in tune with these bloggers, actually. Because I can identify with them more. 

I didn't always live in a small apartment. I've had my fair share of big houses and all the trimmings. But that feels like another life. 

One that entailed a lot of spending and the acquisition of material things. 

I find now that I don't want many things. I keep purging what I do have. If I was to start over with nothing, I would have far less than I do now. 

Some fundamentals of my life:

...Morning coffee
...Pupsters beside me
...Colorful patchwork quilts 
...Books
...Gardens

And now I also spend time learning more about my sister, Marietta, who is nine years younger than I am.

I send her photos on to my daughter. She says that she can see bits of her in Andrew. That we have similar eyes. 

I called her on my birthday, in the late afternoon, and we talked for hours. So much of life to catch up on!

She is very much an animal lover. She has two dogs and three cats. And is fiercely protective of them.

Her needs are simple. 

She loves solitude.

She does not need a man in her life to feel complete.
 
She loves gardening. 

 Marietta has had a difficult life. But then, most of our mother's children have that in common. 

We don't talk every day. Or even every week. But the thread of her story intertwined in my life is slowly unfolding. 

Some people just click together like puzzle pieces. And some don't.

It is nice to have someone in my life that "talks my language." We are both wordsmiths, and love the vast landscape of the English language.

If not for a test you purchase to find out your ancestry, she would not have found me in my little corner of the world. 

And I would only know her by a couple of childhood photos before she was adopted.

Just goes to show you that you never know what life has in store for you.