Forever Laughter

Dolly and her new husband gave Kathy another brother and a baby sister, Kerry. Despite being the youngest of the family, Kerry never fit the stereotypical, spoiled baby sister. She did, however, relish her position in the hierarchy of the family. She may have been a bit willful from time to time but she was generally entertaining; probably a gift inherited from Dolly. Physically she favored her father, but her spirit was rivaled only by her mother.

Loquacious as a child, she would captivate all who entered her world. She could exasperate Dolly and Millie at times, but they still loved her deeply. She struggled, as her sister, in her school years. She too was smarter than she appeared, but, perhaps, lacked the confidence in her intelligence. Instead of taking her life seriously, Kerry made jokes. She was the quintessential “Class Clown.” She was brash, scintillating and vibrant.

She was twelve years old when I was born. Because my mother, Kathy, was discovering her new life in her new world, I was raised in the same house as Kerry. Even though she was technically my aunt, we were more like sisters. We vied for the family’s attention as Kerry lost her position as the “baby.” On the rare occasion, Kerry resented the “new baby,” especially when I was permitted to share her bedroom.

Her room was just that, “Her Room”; her utopia in a life too often filled with uproar and calamity. It must have been difficult to yield her private oasis. More often than not, however, she willingly allowed me to share her world. Many times throughout her life, I was included in her world. Her friends accepted me as a “tag-a-long.” I became a surrogate mascot to her ever growing group of friends. I remember them all fondly as they still remember me.

Life could have eroded Kerry’s vigor for life and stole her humor from her. She is afflicted, as her mother Dolly, with Multiple Sclerosis. Having witnessed the slow progression and destruction of Dolly‘s life, it would have been all too simple to succumb to it. A lesser person would have lost herself in gloom and despair, but she was a fourth generation survivor. Her strength and faith grew limitless as she was dealt another blow. She was diagnosed with colon cancer. She fought a long hard battle with this second deadly disease and overcame another tragedy.

Today, Kerry is the epitome of survival. She has been on the brink of destruction and lives to laugh in its face. She loves this life, lives to love and laughs to endure the world. All I know is that the world is better with her life, her love and her laughter in it!