On Tuesday, May 22 we celebrated my little sister, Alissa’s graduation from high school.. That she graduated is no great feat (in some ways) but why my 55-year old self has a 17-year old sister is kinda interesting.
I grew up with 2 sisters, one 2 years older and one 5 years younger. After we all grew up & left home for college & work, my mother became a foster parent. The journey was not a straight line & initially there was no plan to adopt anyone. At first, my mom provided respite care to another foster parents. When they needed a break, my mom was the angel who stepped in to assist.
After a time, she decided to take in kids mainly infants with medical issues. There were a few older children over the years but mostly it was babies.
Alissa is actually the 2nd child my mom adopted when she was 65-years old!!! My brother who is 24-years old has his own story which may get told at some point.
Alissa came to my mom’s home at 4 days old born to a drug addict. She was a sweet and loving baby full of giggles and kisses. She has always been a fairly social kid and that trait remains true today!
The graduation signifies not just her growth & the beginning of new journeys for Alissa but also the end of an era for us. Alissa is the last “baby” in our family. For the last two decades there has been some form of baby in my mom’s house. And now, there’s just a bunch of grown folk!!!!
Ok, I get that Alissa is not exactly “grown” and she won’t even be 18 until October but the fact remains that the family is getting older and that feels weird in some ways.
Alissa is undecided on her next steps at this point (I hope college in some form is in the running) but for now we will celebrate this new chapter not just in her life but also in ours!
Me and my “baby” sister, Alissa!
The family!
This I so beautiful! My heart is melting with love.