Tomma Momma. How many times have we come up against that formidable force? I guess Tomma Momma is like her Indian name, denoting her strength and pecking order amongst the siblings. She’s strong-willed, smart, dominant and often feels it’s her job as the oldest to tell us what to do. But those aren’t her good traits.

Sherry is the biggest cheerleader any brother could have. She thinks we are the best at anything we do, and she makes it known to us. There is never a moment that I don’t feel loved by her. She thinks all of us hung the moon and though we didn’t really, she almost has me believing it some times. And those still aren’t her good traits. The constant giving and caring for others is something Sherry does naturally. Ask any of her family or her friends and they will tell you the same thing.  She has taken care of our mother for many, many years and goes out of her way to help her in all things. But I know, too, that Sherry would do whatever she had to, to help anyone in the family; for it is the family ties she holds most dear. And even those aren’t her good traits.

Sherry carries a heart of gold that we can’t see physically, but it is shown daily in how she treats not only us, but others around her as well. Her day to day routine doesn’t involve big parades, or making decisions for a Fortune 500 company. Yet Sherry goes along day in and day out, quietly unheralded for all the great things she does. Thank you sometimes rings hollow in today’s society. But if it is truly spoken in sincerity, and the recipient knows it to be honest, then it is one of the more powerful phrases that can be spoken.

So it is with that same honesty and candor that I offer you a simple yet meaningful… “Thank you, Sherry; for everything you’ve done for me, the family and those around us.” 

<><><><><>

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu