Day 101: 4/11/13- Celebrate a Belated National Sibling Day

Day 101: 4/11/13- Celebrate a Belated National Sibling Day                                    
New Thing- Living Like Ali for a Day 
Inspiration: National Sibling Day, Ali                 
Time: All Day    
Bottom Line: Love that Little Sis! 

Little Ali in the front and Little Hilly in the back.

Reflection: Yesterday was National Sibling Day, but I had it written down on the wrong date. So, I celebrated it today. It is a whole day dedicated to the joy of your sibling! I decided to mark the day by making all my decisions the way that I think Ali would have. Here is the breakdown: 

• I decided to sleep in this morning in true Ali fashion. She is not a morning person. When we were in high school and I had to drive her to school, I would literal have to be driving away for her to get out the door. Every so often, I would play music that I thought would make her laugh. It worked sometimes and had disastrous effects at other times.     
• I wore clothing that reminds me of her including a pair of silver/turquoise earrings that she has a matching set of and a skirt that she gave me that I have only worn a few times but got like 5 complements on today. Thanks Ali! 
• Since Ali is an art teacher, I taught the Women's Bible Study as an art class. We were focusing on Romans 8:26-30 (see below) which talks about the way God searches our hearts looking for that Spirit that sights in our hearts even when we do not know how to pray. In fact, Paul makes the case that those times when we do not have words, may be the exact time that the Spirit is at work in our hearts to make them a new creation. So, we took blank paper hearts that open up and used them as a meditation tool focusing on the Collect of Purity. We opened the hearts and on one side we put our desires and secrets that are known only to God. Then on the other side we drew those things that the Spirit was inspiring in us. Then on the outside we drew a representation of the way that we can display God's love to the world. One woman said it was the best Bible study we have ever had with Romans and it was indeed lively and fun. We finished by singing "You are my Sunshine" which was what we sang in Son Shine Nursery school as little girls.  
• Then at lunch I split a piece of peanut butter pie with Elaine at lunch since that is Ali's husband, Doug's, favorite desert. 
• I then took a spin around the flower show that was set up in the parish hall and got a flower art lesson from Jill B. Here are some of the beautiful results of their work:

 

Anne's

Mary

Jill's

• Then I went for a sun run listening to a mix that she made me--I love the Banjo Vol. 1. After all, we are Appalachian Mountain girls. I need Vol. 2, Ali!! She loves to run in the sun.
• Finally, I started to cleaned out my closet to give some old clothes away like she always does for me. I love that about her.  

Thank you Ali for being a great inspiration and the best sister a girl could ever ask for.   
 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. 

-Romans 8:26-30 

Sisters in crime