Farewell, Precious Sisters
When I was a child, I rarely interacted with any of my extended family members. Uncle Leonard sporadically sat at our table for a fried chicken dinner. Two of my father’s sisters occasionally brought panic with unannounced visits to our home. And I cannot recall a single birthday, holiday, or wedding celebrated with a cousin. Four of my five brothers each gifted me a sister-in-law. Being wed I gained more. Marriage, divorce, death, and choice can determine who we declare family. One of my stepdaughters once referred to me as “my friend who married my father.” She was grown and
