She’ll hate this picture. We Hill girls very seldom like photos of ourselves. We’re picky that way.
My youngest sister, Meredith, is one of the deepest loves of my life. We have a bond that can’t be explained easily to others. It’s just a fact; one we know and honor and treasure. We are fiercely devoted to each other. Having lost our brother to cancer at the young age of 44 and having lost our other sister for reasons we will never understand, we never, ever take our relationship for granted. We are well aware that with the loss of our parents these past two years, it is now just us. The two of us.
I am eleven years older than Mere. I helped raise her, as I helped raise my other sister. But as we came into adulthood, the years between us were erased and we became not only sisters but friends.
I know that she is giving, kind, generous, loving. I know that she and I can literally fall to the ground laughing over something or other. (We did fall to the ground once – in Boston – and my sister’s boyfriend at the time, who I had just met, just accepted our silliness. He was wise to do so. He’s now her husband.) Don has also witnessed this. He loves seeing us laugh together.
Anyway, I know all this. She has always been there for me. I will always be there for her.
She is a mother to three boys. Two of them are adults now, both of them in college, and they are fine young men. Much of that is due to her diligence and devotion and her determination to help them find their way, to help them be the best they can be.
She amazes me.
Her work as an Occupational Therapist, working with young children and babies, is a testament to her loving heart. She has helped scores of children who are developmentally disabled. I admire her so much, for I don’t think it’s something I could do. I’ve watched her work with children. I stand in awe.
A few years ago, one of her patients was a little baby who almost didn’t make it into this life. In fact, he was brought back from death soon after he entered this world. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He was being fostered by a medical foster family. Meredith would travel to their home to work with this child.
As she grew to know this little boy, she became attached to him. Oh, she bonds with all her patients, but this one was special. She spoke to me about him frequently. It was clear to me that this little boy had touched her heart. Time went by. Meredith’s family got to know him.
Every once in a while, when his medical foster mother suggested that Mere would be the perfect person to adopt him, my sister would briefly consider it but would stop herself from going further. She was too old. Her husband was too old. Her boys were nearly adults. It wouldn’t be right.
We talked about it, she and I. She was understandably afraid to make that commitment. So she backed off.
Then, an encounter with potential adoptive parents who were clearly wrong for this little boy forced her to reconsider. We had many conversations about it. Her husband was all for it. I was all for it – I could hear the love she had for him in every word she spoke.
In the end, it was meant to be. My wonderful sister and her family fostered this boy and eventually adopted him.
I will write more about this extraordinary child in another post. This post is about my sister. She is an incredible mother to Little Z. She nurtures him. She expands his horizons. She is devoted to his care and to providing him with opportunities to learn and grow. I’ve watched her. She is always helping him in the way only a mother/therapist can. She encourages him to stand by himself. I saw it – he stood for two minutes! She makes a game out of it by having him count as he stands there. His right side is impaired, so she encourages him to use his right hand, to use his right leg, to wear an eye patch to strengthen his eye, to try new things. He’s more comfortable with his walker, so she makes sure to find some time each day where he has to use his canes. She plays with him. She challenges him. She does countless things in the course of the day that help his strength, help him surmount the obstacles that a part of cerebral palsy. She loves him and he has benefitted from that love and the love of the rest of his adoptive family. (Notice she’s working with his right hand in the above photo.)
Don was blown away by what he saw when we were in Florida. He’s always loved Mere, but he got to see a side of her that he hadn’t seen before. Even I, who know her like the back of my hand, am amazed by her.
She does all this while working many hours a week, raising her two older boys, caring for her friends and family (including me.)
Little Z has blessed her. She has blessed him. I am convinced that a Higher Power brought them together. He will have the best life. He will triumph. His life will not be about his disability. It will be about who he is: fiercely intelligent, funny, determined, loving.
So, if you ask me who my hero is, I will unhesitatingly say, “My sister, Meredith.”
She is my hero. She is beloved beyond words.
Happy Tuesday.
Beautiful, wonderful post Claudia.
Thank you, Vera.
This brought tears to my eyes. You are blessed to have such a bond with your sister.
I know. I love her dearly.
I love this post.
Meredith is a lovely woman with great strength. I follow her blog also and admire her and their family for being so loving to Little Z. It shows in his face how happy he is to be with them.
He is blossoming under their care and love. We are blessed to be his Aunt and Uncle.
This is beautiful, Claudia. You are blessed…and I am blessed having read this. Thank you for sharing with us!
You’re so welcome, Linda.
Thank you for sharing, Claudia. It has touched my heart and I have tears in my eyes. A beautiful post that truly defined the meaning of love.
Thank you, Lyn.
This is beautiful Claudia. I came to know Meredith through your blog and now hers. I am amazed at her strength and her deep well of love. I admire her so much and you are lucky to call her sister.
hugs,
Linda
I am very lucky, indeed, Linda.
What a lovely tribute to a lovely person. Your hero inspires me!
I’m so glad! She inspires me every day.
I follow Meredith’s blog, and sometimes as I read, I shake my head in wonder of all she does. Not only her work, and what she has done to change Little Z’s life, but her knitting skills absolutely amaze me. I am retired, and only 2 of us here, and I don’t accomplish as much in a week as she does in a day. She truly is a hero. If I could knit, I would knit her a cape so she could wear it as a reminder of her hero-ness. ?
You are blessed to be able to call her your sister and your friend. (and you know I don’t use that word “blessed: very often at all, but it surely applies here!!!)
Maybe I should knit her a cape??? I haven’t done any knitting for a while, but it sure sounds like a good idea!
Your words brought tears to my eyes…what wonderful family you have.
I do. Thank you, Lisa.
You are indeed fortunate, Claudia. [1] For having such a wonderful sister, and [2] for knowing how very blessed you are for it. Treasure each other always… ?
We do and we will, Janet. Thank you.
Wonderful tribute to your sister. You are lucky to have each other. Thank you for sharing!
You are most welcome, Donna.
Amazing – thank you so much for sharing the details of little Z’s awesome care given by his lovely mommy. Beautiful photo of them – a keeper for sure!
Glad you’re now home safely – must be hard with your lovely Scout far off – but she knows you and Don are still loving her from the distance.
Enjoy the spring weather and your garden soon.
Hugs – Mary
I wish it was sooner, Mary. Probably at least another month!
You and Meredith look so much alike, I thought that was you and Z in the picture! What a lovely tribute this post is to your sister. Touched my heart and also made me smile.
I’m happy to hear that, Tana. Thank you!
What a beautiful loving post! Little Z is so fortunate to have Meredith as his mom…you are so fortunate to have her as your sister! A timely post, given the evil events in Brussels. The world needs more heroes! ;)
The bombings in Brussels are horrifying. More senseless killings and destruction. My heart goes out to the citizens of Brussels.
Meredith is a person who lives beyond the definition of mother, wife, sister, friend. I’m so happy your world, Claudia, and the world of the people she loves are so much richer for that. (PS, the photo perfectly tells a story about your sister’s devotion to her young son, and Little Z’s love of his mom. And I see the beautiful family resemblance between Meredith and you!)
She is a gem, Wendy. I’m proud to be her sister.
I don’t have any sisters, for which I’ve always regretted. But, I have two terrific brothers….they aren’t the kind of men to whom one would run to have a “talk” but they are supportive and always willing to help me out. One of my brothers and I were estranged for about seven years. Then one day, that non-relationship turned a corner, and we’re very close now. Yes, it turned on a dime from nothing to a big something. I’m sorry you and Meredith have “lost” a sister.
We are, too. But after years of trying to make contact with her, it’s very evident that she wants nothing to do with us or with many of our relatives. She clearly has deeply rooted issues and most likely a chemical imbalance. But all that is supposition on our part. We’ll never know.
Beautiful beyond words!
Thank you so much, Janie.
A lovely tribute to a lovely woman. Someone I will never meet, but would like to. It brings joy to hear heart warming stories like this. There are many wonderful people in this world that we share together. Thank you for sharing your story.
It helps to hear of the good people out there, doesn’t it, Lyndia? Thanks so much!
Your parents have done a great job raising both of you to be caring for each other. Now I am off to call my special sister! Doris
Good for you, Doris! xo
Okay, Claudia; you have me balling my eyes out.
You are so gifted with words and you brought your sister and her family and this precious child into a loving light for us all to read about…and, well, thank God there are people in this world who go so outside of themselves to help another, who’ll take the plunge, do the right thing even though it’s hard; have such courage and commitment.
I was thinking that on top of everything else you said about your sister, she also had…due to proximity…the sandwich situation/generation where at one point she was not only dealing with her own life and family including a special needs child but also no doubt caring for both of your parents and certainly your father more recently. I’m sure in those times that the phone contact you had with her, when you couldn’t be there in the flesh, was essential to her sanity. It’s just so great you can ‘be there’ for each other…what a source of strength! Your pride sings through your words; what a loving tribute to a strong, stellar woman.
For the brief flash when your blog came up, I actually thought that photo was YOU; you favor each other!
Thank you for sharing the story. I loved reading it. I feel very inspired and lucky to be in the world with people like your sister and her husband. There are so many deadbeats out there, you know? I’m glad you value having a sister. It can be easy to take ‘family’ for granted, which I know you don’t. My husband is guilty of it and I frequently remind him he should take the time to make a visit…the problem is time and distance; he and his siblings are spread out across the U.S. and everybody’s busy, everybody works. But we’re all not getting any younger. As an only child, it’s been hard for me to navigate a lot of things in the past couple of decades since I lost my brother. I’m always lonely for him. Always. I needed him in the ending years of our parents; I need him now.
It must have been so fun for you to have had a baby sister come into the family when you were age 11 or so. I can remember when I was about age 12 that I wanted my mom to have another baby! My aunt was 13 when my dad was born and she mothered him til the day she passed; he was ‘hers’ and they’d often laugh about how she’d have to wrangle him for a bath when he was a tot. There were several brothers and another sister but the bond between my dad and his sister-mom was a special one, much like what you’ve described as your own with Meredith.
By the way, don’t you have lovely names in your family! Meredith, Claudia…these are well-chosen first names for girls. Kudos to your parents for that!
My mom was great with names, I have to say. My brother was David. I won’t divulge the name of my other sister, but it is also very pretty.
I forgot to mention all Meredith did for my parents, especially during the times they were both ill. She had most of the responsibility; I went down there when I could and I kept in contact with my dad all the time to ease her load. She had to juggle a huge amount of responsibility. My dad, thankfully, got to know Little Z and adored him. There’s a photo of them together at Mere’s house. I wish he was here with us, so he could watch Little Z grow.
Oh, I had to gasp. If I’d been blessed with a son, I’d wanted to name him David. I love the sound of it; I love to say the name. The name was never used in our family, not even with my ancestors. I think it’s beautiful.
It is beautiful, Vicki.
Beautifully tribute to your sister! It brought tears to my eyes. Sisters are wonderful gifts!
They sure are, Rhonda. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing Little Z’s story. You are indeed correct your sister and her family are truly the meaning of Hero. Many of us hear about children and think someone should adopt them…and then your sister steps up. Made me cry, all my best to such an amazing and wonderful boy and his family.
Thank you so much, Mary. I’ll pass your kind words on to my sister.
Good Morning Claudia. Well. I’m speechless. Your words touched my heart to the very depths. You know I love Meredith to pieces. We live on complete opposite ends of this country and chances are, I’ll never meet her in person. But she has my heart. I admire and respect her so much. I know the love she has for her family. The worries a Mom has about all of her boys. The tiredness she feels some days. But she is the quintessential definition of hero. I would love to be able to give her a huge hug and tell her thank you for being my friend. You are both blessed to have each other. What a beautiful post.
Blessings,
Betsy
Thank you, Betsy. She is a treasure, that’s for sure.
I follow Meredith’s blog too. It is truly wonderful to see the progress that Little Z has made since they adopted him. He is so adorable and I admire his independent personality. Sometimes I have laughed out loud at some of the things he says and does. I don’t know where Meredith has the time and energy to do all that she does. You’re very lucky to be so close to your sister. I have one brother that I haven’t seen in almost 16 years and has no interest in being part of my life. Some days it makes me very sad, some days it makes me mad. Most of the time I’m ok with it because I have done all I can do.
I’m grateful we’re close, because if I only had my other sister, I’d have no one. So I understand the pain of not having your brother in your life, Kathy. I’m awfully sorry.
What a beautiful post Claudia.
Thank you, Debbie.
What a beautiful tribute to your sister/best friend/confidante/etc. The family resemblance is uncanny, and this is a beautiful photo. I’m so happy you and Don were able to travel to Florida, Claudia.
Hugs,
Donna
I am, too, Donna. Thank you!
Really? You are making me sound so much better than I am. You forgot impatient, grouchy and very tired! And that might be the worst picture of me EVER! I am in my pj’s, first thing in the morning for Pete’s sake!
I love you,
M
Hmmmm…I believe if you look back on your blog you’ll find a couple of pictures of me in my pajamas, hair uncombed, holding Little Z. Besides, I think you look lovely and apparently so does everyone else! xoxo
THIS is beautiful. I am moved to tears. What an amazing sister you have. What an amazing woman Meredith is. The two of you are so lucky and blessed to have each other.
We are, Melanie. Thank you.
What an amazing tribute to your sister. Thak you so much for sharing your thoughts and feelings with us!
You are very welcome, Sue.
I’m so glad you wrote this wonderful tribute and shared it with us! I needed to hear about heroes today, and I feel the love and respect you have for Meredith in every single word, Claudia. Well done.
What a great person Meredith is and what a blessing that God brought her together with Little Z and that she and her husband rose to the challenge of adopting. I’m sure they are blessed beyond measure in return. I loved hearing about how she challenges Z. That’s the best thing she could ever do to help him.
So glad you girls have ech other, both as sisters and as close friends.
xo
Sheila
I am, too. Thank you, Sheila!
What a lovely post! You are so blessed to have each other.
Thank you, Dottie.
I “know” your wonderful sister a little and you are, of course, totally right about her!! She is a truly wonderful person who I wish knew that more than sometimes I think she realises. I think that Meredith is a hero to us all, and I am glad that she is your special hero. She certainly is a hero to her newest little boy as well!!! A wonderful and inspiring post, full of great love!! xx
Thank you so much, Amy!
Hi Claudia,
I think that this has got to be the most touching post that I have had the pleasure to read, in a very long time! What you have said about your sister, has hit home and what a testimony of how wonderfully God works in the lives of people. Your sister Meredith sounds like an incredibly strong woman with an open and loving heart. And I think that she and Little Z, were meant To Be!
She is all that and more, Elizabeth – Thank you.
What a beautiful tribute to your sister…you are blessed to have each other!
We are. Thank you, Debbie.
This post has me in tears. I’ve been a long time reader of your sister’s blog, and have loved watching Little Buddy as he has blossomed under their care. I’m also the parent of adopted children, one of whom is a quadruple amputee. Your sister is amazing, and I know from what she says about you that she feels the same way about you. :-)
And it sounds as if you are equally amazing, Kristie. Bravo to you and your family. And bless you.
Such a nice tribute to your sister. What I thought was especially endearing is their bodies leaning into each other as your sister seems to be quietly massaging his right hand, an automatic mother/occupational therapist action. After reading more about her, I subscribed to her blog also.
I’m glad you did. She’s very special.
What a beautiful love story…I envy the two of you…I wish so much that I could have this kind of relationship with my two sisters…..Hugs to both of you..
Well, I already know what a wonderfully amazing woman your sister is and I really do hope one day that I can meet her in person. As for the pajamas, you’re right, no one ever would have known. :)
Of course not! It looks like a T-shirt! I hope you can meet her someday, too.