I'm an Irish Twin

Today is my sister's birthday. We are in our fifties. We are part Irish.

When we were little, it wasn't so much fun looking like twins (mom dressed us alike many times). As we got older, my sister became taller than me even though she was almost a year younger than me. You see, she was born two days before my first birthday.

There is a term used for siblings born within 12 months of each other and that is "Irish Twins." Some people don't like this term. I happen to like the term because my mother was told that she could not have children before she had me (I'm the oldest) and then she was told that she should be happy because she would not be able to have any more children. Months later she found she was pregnant again. Every one of my sisters are special to me, but Carrie and I have this in common. We are the same age for two days out of the year. She has a new age to get used to and I am saying goodbye to that age at the same time.

A lot of times people would ask if we were twins when we were two and three years old. My mother or father would reply that we were not twins, just close in age. Then the next question asked was, "Who is the oldest one?" My sister would always answer very quickly, "I am."

Every year when our birthdays came around, I had to watch my sister get her presents for her birthday two days before my birthday. I was not a patient child and pestered my parents relentlessly to open my presents on my sister's birthday. I just couldn't stand to wait to open my presents. My parents would give in and just let me celebrate my birthday two days early.

Mama would say that my sister was my first birthday present. In view of the fact that we fought almost every day, I thought my parents choice of presents left a lot to be desired.

Now that we have grown older it has become an endearing time. Two days that we share when we are the same age. We talk about what the past year has been like and what next year will bring. We always conclude that the last year had its difficulties but the coming year will be much better and we are always right.

I am so extremely blessed to have three of the best sisters a girl could ever have. Daddy may have missed out on a boy, but God sure provided for us. As we get older, we seem to think alike and find that we even call each other at the same time. Sometimes I talk to Sherry and Carrie blips in on the phone and vice versa. It is a wonderful feeling to be that close. Even though Sherry is not an Irish Twin, she makes Carrie and I a three some. There is nothing to describe the fun we have when we are all together.

Darlene is approximately 10 years younger than us. She was born mentally retarded but we still love her dearly.