Sister of my heart.

 

I never had a sister, but if I had to pick one, my cousin Evelyn would certainly fill the bill nicely. She is a kind, hard-working Christian woman who shares not only much of my past, but many of my interests and hobbies. Even though I wasn’t raised here, we visited often enough to have some happy memories of times with her and with her family. I’ve been thinking about our past because Evelyn recently shared some family pictures with me and I sent some to her. The two young women in the first photo are our mothers.

One of my most vivid memories is of us sweeping the concrete slab next to Mama Della’s house. The slab was once the foundation of great-grandma Banta’s home or store, I can’t remember which, but it was our pretend home. We swept the slab and talked about the rooms and took care of our imaginary family. We were both destined to be moms and housewives!

 

We practiced taking care of our dolls, but as oldest daughters we also took care of our real families- our younger brothers and sisters. We spent lots of time lamenting together over the actions of our brothers. Sorry guys, but you were often a pain in the neck, especially when we were asked to “make sure they behave”. Yeah right!

Evelyn was always braver than I was and I’m sure it was her idea to ride Papa’s horse bareback. When we came across the snake in the pasture it certainly wasn’t her fault that I slid off and landed on the ground. Lol She was also a better rider!

Evelyn is a great gardener and has a beautiful yard and pond. She is also a wonderful cook, a talent I didn’t inherit. She is creative and resourceful and I have never met anyone who works any harder than she does.

Over the years we have managed to see each other from time to time, but never often enough to suit me. I’d love to have her right next door instead of living in Caney. But with Facebook and email we can still keep in touch and if we ever stop working so hard maybe we can spend time together as little old ladies.

Love you sis!

Comments

[Judith Richards Shubert]

What a wonderful post about a beautiful relationship! Although I have 3 sisters, I also have a dear, dear cousin who is closer to me in age, and I feel exactly the same way about Kay that you do about Evelyn. I enjoyed reading your post as I was looking for blogs about Oklahoma.

I'm researching a family named Conley from Choctaw County. If you have run across that name would appreciate a note.
Thanks, Judy.