Happy 30th Birthday, Older Sister!

Today is my older sister Angie's 30th Birthday.

So in honor of her, and her old age, she is featured on my blog today...

Angie is older than me by about a year and half so we did pretty much everything during our childhood together. You know things like playing house, making mud pies and forts, sitting still for hours while Mom gave us home perms, pulling weeds in the garden and jumping off the garage roof when Dad wasn't looking.

There were a couple years around middle school age that we wanted to have our 'own' friends. But for the most part our teenage years brought us closer together as we faced the normal decisions that come with the territory of growing up. Angie was there to nudge me in the right direction as together we learned that "Others may - you cannot" and how to "Kiss Dating Goodbye". I remember a time when I was about sixteen and had been slacking off in my daily quiet time with God. Angie and I were in our room that we shared and she picked up my Bible and literally wiped some dust off of it. She then lectured me about how unacceptable that was and encouraged me to read God's word and deepen my relationship with Christ. It was just the motivation I needed from my older sister.... Thanks, Angie.

Angie has always been a good spiritual influence. Jump back a few years to when we were little tomboys with mullets. We were on our teeter totter, okay so it was something we'd constructed ourselves out of a huge log turned on it's side and a 2x8 board, fun none the less. Angie's sunday school lesson that Sunday had been about telling others how to ask Jesus into their heart. I was her perfect target to try out her new skill. As we tottered back and forth making sure the board stayed in the middle of the log so as not to fall off one side... Angie picked up two sticks and held one up highsaying, "This is Jesus, he's way up here.". And then holding the other stick as low as she could saying, "This is satan, he's way down here, get it? Jesus is better than satan.". Facts are facts and I knew she was right about this one. She was older and wiser after all. :) My big sister prayed with me right there by our hand crafted teeter totter that day to ask Jesus into my heart. Thanks, Angie.

We've had a lot of good times over the years, sometimes laughing until we cried. They aren't all perfect moments, but memories cherished and never forgotten. I pray many more will be made as we grow even older.

2009 has been a rough year for Angie, yet she has shown spiritual maturity and strength in the midst of her grief and tears of sorrow. I'm thankful for her example of godliness to all who know her. Thanks, Angie.

There is much more I could say about my sister, but this is a long wordy post already. If anyone besides Angie made it to the end of this, thanks for reading just a little about what my wonderful older sister means to me.

I love you, Sister. Happy 30th Birthday!