Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.

I’ve mentioned in previous posts how my family has had an impact on my life, and in those posts I’ve only really mentioned my Dad or brothers. Maybe I’ve mentioned that I have a sister, but I haven’t shared much of what she has done for me.

The way my family has looked out for each other has changed throughout my life. As a kid, after our Mom passed away, my older brother did his best to help out my younger brother and I while Dad was busy working to provide for us. I don’t want to say my sister was nowhere to be seen when it came to looking out for us, but I’m sure that, outside of one particular event, she was doing what she could behind the scenes, so to speak.

A little more backstory for today’s prompt. Our Stepmom passed away a couple of years ago, and in the months that followed we all did what we could to spend time with Dad to make sure he was okay. He had been the one taking care of our Stepmom the last few years of her life battling cancer. One of the things he did was jump on the opportunity to buy the house next to my younger brother and his family. Not so he could move closer, he fully intended to stay on the farm with the horses, but so that my younger brother could move his family into it. With five kids they needed a larger house, and since our older brother was living with them it made it cramped.

So here’s where I cover the “positive thing” that my sister did for me.

I live over 30 minutes away in a major city. I have my life here. I had no idea any of this house business was going on and it all happened so quickly. My Dad had already made the decision to buy that house when he called me to say he was only considering it and ask for my opinion, as well as ask if I would like to move in with my older brother in the smaller house. Although he was asking if I would “like” to move it was very obvious he was just hoping I would jump on the opportunity. No real consideration for how I felt about it, or the fact that he was dropping this on me out of nowhere. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings so I told him I needed to think about it, and even though he accepted that response over the phone I could tell by his tone he was assuming it meant “yes”. My sister called me not long after I ended my call with him. She had heard what our Dad was doing and talked him down from his assumption that I would want to move. (I do want to move, and get my own place, but I want to do it on my own terms.) As much as we love our Dad, sometimes it’s hard to stand up to him when we know he means well, unless we’re standing up to him on behalf of another. So, my sister, who lived across the State at the time, stood up for me because she knew I was struggling mentally and emotionally with how to handle this abrupt situation with our Dad.

I know my Dad is likely still lonely, even though he got two new puppies last year, but I couldn’t bring myself to move closer to him (or the rest of my family.) Not when my current life would have to change drastically, and I have my sister to thank for falling on that sword. (Especially since last year, due to work, she ended up moving back this way and now shares the smaller house with our older brother.)