when i was just 3 years and 3 days old my parents had me take a seat in preparation for receiving my belated birthday present. even then i understood i had hit the jackpot when they handed me my newborn baby sister. she brought color into my life. i believed them when they told me to take care of her and seriously thought she was mine. mine to spoil rotten or boss around; mine to mold into a left-handed artist; and mine to draw designs on her bald head when she shaved it at age 16. Tammy didn't speak until she was 4. She would mutely point at whatever she wanted and we would fetch and deliver. she finally started talking (in full paragraphs) when we unintentionally fell short of anticipating her every need. i thought i had her figured out. her high level energy comes from our mom and the platinum singing voice is from our father. we used to play conductor. she was the talent and i would make her belt out simon & garfunkel hits hundreds of times until every note had bounced off the walls to my exact specifications. growing up she was a talented poet and all around creative type.
she moved to san francisco when she was 17 to work in the theater and then as a peace activist. She was employed by California Peace Action for years, opening an office in LA, and traveling around the country at their behest. she is very known for pulling well developed completely persuasive, nay, deadly, arguments out of her sleeve. If you've witnessed this about her raise your hand.
But then...my artsy, humanitarian sister switched brain hemispheres,
gasp.
TRAITOR.
she decided to be a mathematician at SF city college. She ended up graduating with a masters in materials engineering from UC Davis. And now she's doing her M.D. PhD. in Chicago. WHERE DID I GO WRONG??
TamTam's a momma. She gave birth almost a year ago. During labor while I was passing out from my sister's travail, she was playing the perfect hostess to everyone, including the entire engineering lab who had come to cheer her on for the final pushes and help welcome Mr. T to the world. She is a great mom and has done well with a difficult balancing act of full time school and mommy hood. the love she has for Mr. T is tangible. he knows his momma is his #1 fan.
i've learned that when i talk to Tam about her thoughts & about what she's studying, i must take notes. they help me to stay focused and participate and then i get to turn around and regurgitate stuff like...well, never mind...since right now Tam is studying everything you don't want to know about the perineum. for her histology class.
yup, i'm proud of my sister. and i love her, her husband, and Mr. T. I'm super thankful for the relatedness.

So...Happy Birthday Tammy!
I'm lucky to have you as my sis.
You're the birthday gift that keeps on giving.

p.s. And Tam, I know you've paved your own path...but i appreciate seeing that you continue taking some cues from me, like your keen shoes, and mrs. meyer's products, etc. =)