Carely, my sister . . .

Today is my sister's birthday.  She is really my half-sister (my father's daughter from his first marriage), and there are more than 10 years difference in our ages, but we are very close. 

Even though we grew up separately - she, in Cuba with her mother, and I, with my parents in the U.S. - we are very similar in many ways.  It's uncanny how many personality traits we share.  People who know both of us have stopped being surprised when she and I react the same way to a particular situation, or think the same way about an issue.  I guess our common parentage tells.  I have learned a lot about myself by being confronted with another person that is so very much like me. 

She now lives in Florida and I don't get to see her often enough to suit me, even though we talk regularly on the phone and exchange lots of e-mails.  But she will be visiting me this summer and I'm very excited about that.

Here's a picture of the two of us together from a very long time ago . . . I'm the cute two-year-old . . .

Happy birthday, Carely!  I miss you!

My sister's hankie

This one was given to me by my sister, Carely, shortly before I left Cuba as a little token by which to remember her. My super cool, modern sister, who wore slacks, drove a Harley twice her size, played the guitar and knew all about American music gave me the coolest handkerchief I had ever seen - a black gingham hankie with a purple border, quite unusual, but a hankie nonetheless. It's always been one of my favorites.