See? Taller.
And younger. There's 14 1/2 years in between us and she can't borrow my shoes (they're too small and narrow for her) and I can't borrow her shirts (they're too small and narrow for me) but we do sometimes share jeans. Which means she borrows mine.
And even though I'm older and wiser than her, she is by far braver than me any day of the week.
That's right. Brave.
As in fearless. Lion-hearted. Valorous. Indomitable. Resolute.
(That's right I can use a thesaurus with the best of them.)
Because this girl has had to face challenges that most people never will and some can't even imagine. And no, I'm not referring to growing up with FIVE older brothers. I'm talking about pricking her finger(s) with a needle multiple times a day so that she can feed blood into a machine she always has to carry so that she can decide how much medicine to inject into her abdomen using another needle.
When most kids were graduating from training wheels to two, watching the Lion King for the 50th time, or sleeping with their blankets over their heads so that the four-headed, hundred-toothed monster under the bed can't get them, at that very same time Maureen was doing that too.
Only suddenly she lost a lot of weight in a very short amount of time and had a variety of other symptoms that just didn't add up. Well the doctors did their math and summed it up for her worried family: Maureen had diabetes.
And she still has it now. And will have it forever. And knowing that, and dealing with that, makes her braver than anyone else I know.
Did she let it stop her from hitting seven home runs her freshman year of softball? Nope.
Did she let it stop her from pounding back at her older brothers? Not in this lifetime.
Did she let it stop her from joining the local firefighter explore program and kicking butt at the summer fire camp? Nuh-uh, not my sister.
And now at 17 she's faced more adversity and challenge than many will in twice that many years. And she's out to do more so, world? Look out, here comes Maureen and she'll catch what you throw at her and tag you out at second.
