The Best Part of Waking Up

This morning, I awoke to flashbacks of yesterday morning wafting through mind. Let me set the scene for you ...

We had a Sibling Sleepover Weekend, this weekend past. My brother and his wife arrived Friday night, while my sisters arrived Saturday afternoon, spent the night and everyone headed home after a leisurely Sunday breakfast.

We had a few late nights so I wasn't the first one up. My bedroom is downstairs so I tried to be conscious of listening for steps overhead so I could get up and resume my hosting duties. The moment I heard the light padding of feet I got up, tended to a few cat chores, got dressed and headed upstairs.

I stepped into the morning to a freshly made pot of coffee, with my sisters visiting quietly in the living room. It was like I stepped back in time.

It was like waking up at Mom's house again.

It was not uncommon for me to be the last one up when we gathered at Mom's. I would step into the morning-in-progress, coffee made and quiet visiting preceded my presence.

During Mom's final year, we often found ourselves together at Mom's or overlapping our visits by a night. After Mom was gone, we made a handful of trips back to Mom's as we tended to her home and estate related matters.

Waking up under the same roof at Mom's home became a great source of comfort to me. My sisters have walked me through many of my life changing events. They became known to me and my heart as my "White Knights", as they drove out together and coached me through difficult times. They are my strength, my backbone and the wind beneath my wings.

While we walked through the Year of Mom together, simply knowing they had my back made me stronger. I walked a walk I never could have walked had we not had that history together and the unwavering knowledge they were behind me all the way. This is not to undermine my brother's role in the entire scenario. The difference was in the moment I walked into yesterday morning. My sisters and I have had many Waking Up at Mom's moments together. Before, during and after Mom's final year.

This familiar scene comforted me in a bear hug kind of way. The presence of family has been part of the tapestry of my life. The only time I haven't felt such a presence is when I have made the choice to go it alone.

I'm grateful my brother was a part of this occasion. As I rewind the memory reel of my mind, I can't think of a time he has had these "Waking Up to Family Moments" my sisters and I have shared. There is something to be said for sleeping under the same roof, waking up to a pot of coffee someone has already made, with the knowledge you are safe in the company of someone who shares your history.

I feel Mom's presence throughout my home. Between her belongings sprinkled throughout each and every one of our homes, her essence etched into our beings and the way the sounds of Mom's home and yard chimed in and throughout our time together, this was the next best thing to waking up at Mom's.