The
Gathering
It was just about twenty years ago that I gave a big
party in honor of the fact that my five sisters would all be together.
I'm the oldest and I made quite a ritual of this occasion. Four
of us live in Rhode Island and we get very enmeshed at times.
But Joyce, our middle sister, lives in San Francisco. Being in
the middle of our ages makes her not the baby , yet to Ruth and
Sheila she can be, but to Lynne and Gail she is big sister. If
each of us were living in five different states, that would be
great, for all five of us are endowed with good looks and strong
personalities. Five together, with drink in hand, can be overwhelming.
Tonight, twenty years since that first ritual, we met for Joyce's
48th birthday party at sister Lynne's. Joyce has been in town
since Monday; our strong personalities have already enjoyed a
few rounds in the ring of life's different perceptions with differences
of opinion so strong at times, accompanied with a touch of sibling
rivalry, that I'm sure the thought of isolation hung heavy on
those pretty little heads. Yet tonight, all was set aside to attend
the celebration of Joyce's birthday and that she was in town.
The fact that we all love to eat, and that Lynne is a great cook,
without a doubt helped lift any hidden resentments. I'm Ruth,
the oldest of the litter, and I arrived a little later than usual.
I'm the one that doesn't drink, and I like to eat right away,
so coming late took the pressure off our host Lynne. The menu
was Chinese served by a Portuguese man from Africa. All the sisters
are still outstandingly good-looking. I see no signs of age, for
if there were any, they were upstaged by the spirit glowing in
their faces. Tonight I observe a lot of serenity, no matter what
end of the house we're in. There was balance. It wasn't loud in
one room or quiet in another. No, the whole house was serene with
a sense of fine tuning. Chinese tea and cake with whipped cream
were served for dessert while our guest of honor opened her many
presents. The presents were all in the tradition of the nurturing
family: creams for her face, soft towels, books to enjoy for fun,
and a book to enrich spirituality for the day, and a lovely silver
tray to put her lunch on. Everyone sat and enjoyed watching their
gift being opened. Fred had purchased the towels himself and looked
like he was more than enjoying the merriment. Well, I had my cake
and it was time to leave. I had a wonderful evening. I'm so glad
God gave me the spirit to attend, for I'm sure God said, "Go to
the party, Ruth. I'll take care of all your thoughts of isolation
and any other reasons you may have for not attending." You weren't
here God when I got home to tell you "Thank you," so I wrote this
short story instead.
Copyright; Ruth
Mahoney 8-Mar-88
