I have just returned from an 8 day vacation with my beloved sister and brother. They came here to Seattle from their homes in CA and then we took off for some of the more scenic parts of WA.
Some of what we experienced was not new to me, such as the 20 acre San Juan Island Sculpture Park, which is amazing, and Port Townsend, a charming town Sweet Hubby and I go to every year for their 4 day film festival. But there were also a lot of firsts: my first sighting of a minke whale, my first visit to Port Angeles, my first time hiking through the knock-out gorgeous Hoh Rainforest. The whole trip was full of sights and splendors. And birds, always. Brother Rob is a hard-core birder and, of course, had brought along his binoculars, so Joan and I were able to see the birds up close and to experience through his eyes how beautiful and interesting they are.
None of that, however, equaled what was new and best about this vacation. This was the first time Joan and Rob and I have spent extended time together, just the three of us. And it was great. Several times our plans had to be hastily reconfigured, and each time we worked well together, everyone flexible and good-natured, while we figured out a new plan. We talked and talked and laughed and played games and sang and shared meals, and occasionally wept a little as we remembered our parents and Rob's recently deceased wife. It helps that he now has a new possible love interest, so there was a lot of hope and anticipation mixed in with the grief.
The sibs and I have always loved each other, although we have not always been particularly involved in one another's lives. Joan and Rob are long-time married with children and used to work full time as teachers, and I've been off doing my artsy thing. The death of our mother brought us together as we joined forces to take care of Dad his last year, and since COVID we have had a biweekly Zoom get together. But still, we hadn't ever spent time in each other's company for any sort of extended period.
Since this vacation we are certainly closer than we have been since we were children. Now we know that we can not just tolerate one another in close quarters, but actually enjoy and delight in one another. We were able to talk about absolutely everything, share our true and sometimes embarrassing stories and feelings, our thoughts about getting older, our concerns for the young uns in the family, our political opinions (fortunately we are all like-minded in that arena, or a visit of this depth and quality would not have been possible).
We are all back in our separate lives again, back to our homes and routines, but for me there lingers a feeling of being wrapped in loving arms and held tightly and securely by two of the best people I have every known.