Sunday, November 13, 2011

A Tale of Twin Cousins, A Special Note

I wrote this tribute to my cousin, Diane, before she passed away so that she could enjoy it. She passed away today,  early on Thanksgiving Day. She did get to read it and enjoyed it very much, and asked that it be read at her funeral. As I can't be there, my brother, Ted, will read it for me. 




A Tale of Twin Cousins
(For Diane)
By Sandra Sylvester


Once upon a time two little girls were born…
One in February… one in March.
Only 26 days between them…
Twin cousins they became…and never apart
For even though one was born of the city…
And one of the country…
Their mothers made sure of it
They were raised together.

Twin cousins…much loved from the start
Some say much planned  to boot.
Two mothers wanted them close…
To grow up together…
To form a “twin” friendship…
To create memories to share…
Memories to last a lifetime.

Two little girls, dressed alike in pinafores
With sun-baked toes and sun-bleached hair
Blowing in the summer breeze…
Lying on their backs in the fields
Of the farm looking up at the clouds
And discovering whales and camels and rabbits.

Two little girls who grew to
Learn together…
How to dance…how to ride horseback…
How to swim…row a boat and…
How to paddle a canoe.

The twin cousins picked strawberries,
Raked blueberries,
Planted pumpkin seeds,
Tramped hay, and once in a while
Got to swim over at Biscay.

Memories of summer camp…
And family reunions…
And Thanksgiving turkey around the big table
On the farm……
And Christmas snow…

Memories of skating up at the gravel pit…
Of making angels in the snow…
Of cutting Christmas trees in the woods…
Of singing hymns around the piano.

The city twin and the country twin
Grew up in a family of love.
The memories they shared
Were stored in a special place
In their hearts.
Their twin friendship
Stayed with them
Through all the days that lay ahead.

Twin friendship,
     Twin love,
         Twin memories.

The mothers started it all…
The twins continued it,
Nothing will stop it…
They will be twin cousins…
Forever.


Rest in peace, my dear twin cousin. Say hi to the folks, to Harlan, and to your folks, Freda and Carl Hilton, who I loved very much. I will miss you...your twin cousin, Sandra




Cousin Diane Hilton O'Connor (on the right) and I at age four.



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