Day #285 - Amy...A Friend In Deed

Today is my sister Amy's Birthday. She means a lot to me. All my siblings do, but Amy was one of my best friends as we grew up. We shared a room for many years and we seemed to always come up with some project or other to work on together. Ten things I love about Amy:

1 - EVEN STEVEN - one word I would attribute to Amy is "Serene". She might not always agree, but when I see her faced with something that would set me off in a tailspin of emotion, she just seems to take it in stride and work through it. I often wonder what she is thinking or feeling in a given moment, but she seems to internalize a lot of what she feels. Don't kid yourself that she hasn't received the gift of the Dana facial expressions...she is right up there with the rest of us, but in the big life stuff, she is a gracious example of serenity and I love that about her.

2 - UBER TALENTED - Every time I go to Amy's house I look closely to see what she has been working on. Most recently I noticed a green table in her living room - I think it used to be black. There are the book shelves in the family room recently painted, the bench she made by the kitchen table, the picture she made of Elle on the wall, the amazing painting and decorations she makes in the kids rooms, the "dang it dolls" she made w/Melissa, the blankets she helped the young women in her ward make...I can go on and on. It isn't like she is JUST a seamstress (not that there is any JUST about that), but she is a carpenter, a brick mason, a painter...on and on. One of my favorite memories of Amy is when we made our own pajamas - we laid down on the floor and traced the outline of our bodies in the material and then sewed the two halves together...I remember the arms were extremely tight. We also made some dolls we tried to copy out of a book we saw. They had REALLY long arms and legs and we sewed them so tight it was incredibly difficult to stuff them w/cotton. We always had a lot of fun with our projects. The point is, Amy is fearless when it comes to taking on a new project and she always finds a way to make it work.

3 - PRODUCTIVE - I think I can combine #2 w/this one, but how the heck does she find time to get everything done...I think she must just make that too. She has 3 kids  (2 to 8), works part time, has a calling in young women's, goes to Kung Fu once per week, spends time with her husband Lance and somehow gets all those amazing projects in during her spare time...Don't ask me how she does it, but I am amazed at her ability to get it all in there.

4 - HANDS - I love Amy's hands. They are a symbol to me of everything hands should be. Amy is an Esthetician and a Massage Therapist. I think she is also an energy worker. I don't often take advantage of her amazing talent like I should, but every time I go I am moved by her talent. She told me once many years ago about a woman who came in for a massage and cried the entire time. Afterward she told Amy it had felt so good to be touched - the woman was soothed by her and Amy gave her that freedom to express her feelings without comment or judgement. That is the kind of power Amy has in her hands. Even when I get my eyebrows waxed (and my chin, and my lip) she has such a gentle way in her fingertips...Amy's hands are magic - look at all she accomplishes with them.

5 - GENEROUS - Amy is always the first one to show up and help out in any situation. I know she helped Keri a lot with her move, she helped me pack up my house when I was moving up from NSL, she helped paint my fence and kept working at the piles of branches in my yard after everyone else had quit, she helped with Chuck's move(s) and she carries boxes...that might sound funny, but I am a wimp, helpful, but not very useful in a strong arm situation. Amy is tough and digs in and gets it done when the time comes.

6 - STRONG - you can imagine how strong Amy should be from giving massages, taking Kung Fu, moving other people's boxes and building stuff all the time. I have a few funny memories - Amy worked for UPS for a while loading trucks with boxes to be shipped around the Country. She went to get her yearly girl exam and the Doctor asked if she and her husband were having problems because she had bruises all up and down her legs and arms...I mean ALL up and down. It was awful, but funny. Amy is also the only one that will still wrestle with our oldest brother Jason. I can't stand to watch, I'm a worry wart (someone might get hurt), but one time Amy and Jason landed wrong on my parents couch and broke it...Dad was pretty happy about that one.

7 - MAMA MIA - Like I mentioned before Amy has 3 kids - all born, how is the PC way to say it? Without medication...I want to say "natural", but my friend Jen told me that is not the way to describe it these days. I was honored to be present to film (in good taste of course). I will never forget how she was with Archer, her first. Talk about Serene - that woman barely made a peep. I remember the spirit of that moment, it was so powerful as that little boy made his entrance into the world. I have been super blessed to attend the birth of a few of my nephews and nieces and every experience has been special in different ways, but the moment when the baby comes fully into this world is so special. Thank you for sharing those moments with me. Amy is such a loving Mother - sometimes I think I would throttle those lovely little darlings, but Amy just moves thru her day w/Elle hanging on her legs as if she doesn't mind at all. Amy's children will always know they are loved.

8 - JUDGE JUDY...NOT - I know that Amy will accept me no matter what. She never lectures me, she never makes me feel wrong, she is always open to listening to what I have to say even if she doesn't agree with it, but I never feel judged or frowned upon by my sister Amy.

9 - FAITHFUL - Amy has a purity of Faith. She won't Bible bash and she won't try to prove herself right - she doesn't need to. I think this is such a powerful form of Faith. She just knows what is right for her and lives her life according to her beliefs. She doesn't try to push others to live like she does, she just moves quietly along being her light to the world. I love this about her.

10 - FRIEND OF MINE - I am soooo lucky to have sisters that are also my friends. Amy is a favorite of ALL of us. There s no one Keri would rather spend time with on any given day (except maybe Mom). When Melissa is in town, they are pretty much together doing whatever they can think of to be productive - they have that in common. Even my sister-in-law, Melanie, spends more time with Amy then I do, but I hope Amy knows how much her friendship has always meant to me, and always will.

Thank you my Dear, Beautiful Friend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "I, who have no sisters or brothers, look with some degree of innocent envy on those who may be said to be born to friends."  ~James Boswell