The Po Show

Geezers

My sister turned 50 today.

This is my closest sister, both in terms of relationship and age. (My brother turns 55 next week and my oldest sister turns 57!) So now all my siblings are in their 50s. Whew. But then, I'm 40 now and they have a hard time wrapping their brains around that.

I remember asking my sister, when I was about 8 years old, if she had been jealous when I was born. She shook her head and said, "I think I was more excited about you than anybody." She helped raise me, since our mom worked part-time. I have some odd memories of hanging out with her teenage friends at the bowling alley and the local hospital (for some strange reason they used to dress in funny clothes and walk the corridors. With benefit of hindsight, I think they were probably high).

It occurred to me that my oldest first cousin is turning 70 next year. My first cousin! Of course this all comes of having parents who were 39 when I was born (definitely an oops baby). My mom turns 80 next year, as would have my dad if he had lived. My oldest *grandniece* turned 10 this year. All these decade milestones are swirling around in my head.

I'm so struck by how the generations shift. Family gatherings used to have my mom and aunt doing the cooking and hostessing. My sister and brother and their spouses were the parents of the little kids running around. My cousins (my aunt's sons) were the young adults. I was the weird tween whose contemporaries were my second cousins, the children of my older first cousins. My grandparents sat on the couch and watched the goings on.

Now my mom and aunt sit on the couch. My dear grandparents have long passed. My nieces and I are the moms of the kids (of course, I started way later than they did, as did my cousin and his wife, whose girls are around Tessa's age). My oldest nephews are the young adults.

I don't feel all that much older, but everyone around me sure does age!