"I Got Your Back, Little Brother"

The morning after my sister Peggy died, my son Andy stopped by the house to share tears and to talk (well - actually to listen).

Having both been blessed with a healthy dollop of "Smith humor" - "Sugar" (Peggy's name for Andy) and Peggy got along splendidly.

I shared with Andy pretty much what he already knew - that Peggy and I had been much more than sister and brother - we were the best of friends.  Peggy and I "had each other's back" decades before that expression even came into existence.   as I told someone later in the week "Peggy and I never got the memo on 'sibling rivalry'"

It was slightly bittersweet, but mostly just very sad, to have Peggy confirm this one final time in the letter she left for me:

"I have always felt a special bond w/you that I can't really explain. I can't imagine there was ever a brother loved as much as you, from the time you were little."

Later in the week, while going through some pictures for my earlier blog post (titled "Peggy"), I found three photos from 1954-55 when I was between 6 months and 1-year-old.  They are the only family pictures that I have from that time period.  With my recent conversation with Andy still fresh in my mind, I was struck by Peggy's "Mama Hawk" body language in each of the three pictures.   :-)

Granted, it was just by chance, but in each photo she seems to be watching out for me already, either by glancing in different directions - keeping an eye on the flanks - or by standing hands on hips, the first line of defense, directly in front of Dad and me.

See Andy . . . what did I tell you about your Aunt Peggy "havin' my back" for a long, long time? . :-)

I love you and miss you, sister and friend.

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