Carmen Melendez is my oldest
sister, in school and whenever we were outside of the home she was responsible
for my well-being. I could remember clearly our early years in school and how
she made sure to come and check on me every day. Carmen would ask her teacher
for a hall pass so that she can take a sneak peek into my classroom and make
sure I was ok, she did this every day because she knew how shy and timid I
was. Carmen, like my mother; has always
been a strong individual and go getter, who made friends easily, the total
opposite of me. I remember always saying I want to be like my sister, well it
took me a long time but I finally opened up and found my voice. Finding my
voice allowed me to better myself. Carmen lives in Florida and I live in
Chicago but we communicate on a regular basis, sometimes just to see how we are
doing, and in some cases to get advice. Carmen’s strength and love for life
continues to influence me on a daily basis. I asked my sister Carmen why does she care
about me and this was her response.
“There
are many things that I love about my sister Maria. She is a fun-loving person
which makes everyone love to be around her. It is very easy for her to make
friends because of her outgoing personality. Her strength and determination are
some of the traits that make her stand out. What I am most proud of is what a
wonderful mother she is and how much her family loves her.” – Carmen Melendez
Laura Watkins is my younger
sister, growing up I was responsible for her. By the time Laura came along I
was 5 years old and by the time she started school I was 10 years old and ready
to take on my responsibility of looking out for my little sister. Laura was twice as shy as I was, but her shyness
is what also gave me the strength to open up even more so. I couldn’t look like a wimp in front of my
little sister, no way. As we got older I couldn’t stand my sister or her
friends, I actually moved out because of her. Not even a year in my own space
and my sister Laura came to live with me. Having her under my roof was so much
different, I think she was grateful therefore more respectful. It wasn’t like
having a roommate with her, it was special. I asked my sister Laura why does
she care about me and this was her response.
“You
are special to me because showed me tough love. You believed in me when I didn’t
believe in myself. I have so many memories of your tough love but the one that
stands out the most is when I got pregnant, you taught me how to be an adult. It’s
because of you I learn what it was to be a responsible adult, you taught me how
to balance my check book, clean, furnish a home for me and my baby to come and
then sent me on my way with all the tools I needed. For this and so much more I
will always be grateful, like the time about 5 years ago when I called you at
3:00 in the morning to meet me at McDonald’s. You didn’t ask any questions and
knowing you had to go to work later that very morning you were there for me,
that’s true sisterly love.” – Laura Watkins
Marysol & Marybel
Berrios are the twins, my baby sisters. By the time they came along I was a
freshman in high school. I remember clearly waiting the clock in school so I
could get home and get to them. My oldest sister Carmen and I were the little mommies
at home with them, my mom taught us a lot about babies and we loved every
minute of it. From the twins is how I learned how to be patient and nurturing.
By the time they turned 5 and started school I moved out and it was not until
they hit their twenty’s and Marysol got sick that we got close again. We are
all either married with children or in a relationship but as sister’s we are
all inseparable. Marysol calls me “older sister” and Marybel calls me “skinny
mini” and almost every day they call me for something, sometimes just to say
“hi!” I asked the twins why do they care about me and this was their response.
“I
care about you because when I got sick you decided to move back to Chicago from
Atlanta just to be closer to me, that meant the world to me! I also care about
you because although at time we may have our differences I know you will always
have my back just like I will always have yours. You are such a helpful and
caring person, but most of all you throw down on your sweet tables. Love you
older sister!” – Marysol Berrios
“You
know I am not good with words skinny mini but you are special to me because you
are like a mother. I value your opinion and this is why I call you my skinny
mini, my lawyer, and my bank…hahaha, but seriously you are so special to me
that I always feel I have to watch over you just to make sure no one hurts
you!” – Marybel Berrios
Me and My Sisters
(from left to right – Marybel, Carmen, Laura, Me,
Marysol)
This picture was taken during a visit from our sister Carmen
who resides in Florida. We do not have many pictures with her since her move
but all the sister pictures we take together are just like this and we love
them all.
I met my BFF Betty 32 years
ago, over the years there have been many changes in both our lives but no
matter what’s going or where we are, we have never forgot about each other. In
our 32 year friendship we got upset with each other only one time and to this
day neither one of us can really remember why we stopped talking. Growing up
with Betty was nothing but fun and laughter; we had so much fun we never even
stopped to talk about the future. I guess we were just busy enjoying the moment
and not thinking about tomorrow. Betty means the world to me, honestly I
couldn’t see life without and everyone around us knows it, including the
husband and the fiancé. We also call or text each other every day just to see
how we are doing or to make plans for weekend fun. I asked my BFF Betty why
does she care about me and this was her response.
“You
are a great person who listens to me and understands me; you are also very
helpful, hard headed at times but always there for me no matter what. You have
a good head on your shoulders, and you love your friends and family and enjoys
being around them all. I love that we both have the same goals for our future,
something we never even use to talk about. Most of all, I love that you are so
strong, a loving mother and so family oriented.” – Betty Caballero
Me
& My BFF Betty
Sandra and I grew up in the same community, Lathrop Homes; this was a community where everyone knew everyone and most importantly, everyone looked out for each other. I have many memories of Sandra but the one that sticks out the most is when I had to babysit her and her brother. My mother and Sandra's mother would go out together and because I was what they called the "good girl, mommy's girl" I was the one that was most trusted. There was an evening that our mothers decided to go out and Sandra's mother didn't have a sitter so I was the baby sitter for that evening. Mind you we were all in the same age range but Sandra's mother didn't trust them to be alone. It was after this first job that I then had many babysitting jobs afterwards. The most recent heart whelming memory I will always have of Sandra actually happened about a year ago. It was 6:00 am and I received a phone call that my mother had stopped breathing, I called Sandra and she was by my side in a matter of minutes. We were close as childhood friends and today we are still very close and very much in each others life, at times we get on each others nerves (because we work together) but life wouldn't be the same without her. I asked Sandra why does she care about me and this was her response.
“As I look back at my
childhood years an overwhelming feeling of joy and sorrow encompasses me.
First, I will share about the joy and why it makes me so happy. The cause of
this undeniable euphoria was induced by my dear friend Maria Melendez. I can
recall many experiences that Maria and I had. One of the earliest
memories-which she always seems to bring up at her convenience-, is that she
was my protector. Maria-even though we are only a couple years apart- always
looked out for me. She started babysitting me when I was 7 years old. She was lovable, caring and sweet. She showed her heart to me at a very young age that
allowed me to see that it was ok to trust people. This in turn, painted a path
that I knew was safe to travel. On another occasion when we were about 16 years
old, Maria had given me some vital advice that changed my life completely and
because of this I am forever grateful. Because of my dear friend, things could
have been much more difficult than what are today. Secondly, the sorrow that
makes it evident by embracing me and refuses to let go is the reality of my
inner child, which evades me because of the here and now. Maria had played an
influential role in my younger years and still to this day. Sometimes I feel
like that little girl and yearn for that genuineness in people that I know
still exists. Maria and I are much older now, but the reality is LIFE!” –
Sandra Colon
Sandra with my mommy and her daughter Joey,
Sandra refers to my mommy as "mom" in fact, all ,my childhood
friends call my mommy "mom"!
