I have already mentioned that I have 49 brothers and sisters in my family, and that all of us kids are adopted. I would have had two more brothers and another sister in my family, but they died when they were small.
My one brother (Aron Jakob) died on the day he was to have been 4 years old: he died on his birthday. He died because he got sick with meningitis, and it killed him in only a matter of a few short hours. My other brother (Pierre Armand; he was named after grandpere' Armand) died of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) when he was just 6 days old. As for my only sister (Acadia Marie-Antoinette), she had been born very premature, and she died of meningitis at the age of 2 weeks and 2 days; she contracted it from another baby in the NICU.
I didn't know my brothers and sister because they died before I was adopted. I never got to know them, in other words.
If they had still been alive today they would be teenagers. Mommy had Aron Jakob when she was 16; he would be nearing 16 now. Pierre would be almost 15, and Acadia would be my age. But, as I said earlier, I never got to know them because they died before I was even adopted.
I sometimes wonder why God would allow innocent children to die so young, but I know He has a good reason. He wanted them in His Kingdom. He has better things in store for them in Heaven, and I oftentimes like to think that they are watching over me and my family. I also like to think of them as being alive in my heart. I mostly like to think of my deceased brothers and sister as being my three personal guardian angels. (I'm lucky in that regard: most people have only one guardian angel--I have 3.)
Still--I would have like to have known Acadia, Pierre, and Aron like I do my adopted brothers and sisters. I'm sure we would have gotten along. I'm also sure that we would have had many fun times together.
Aron, Pierre, and Acadia: Just letting you know that I (your big sister, Barbara) love you all and that I miss you guys!! Tell grandmere' Claudia hi from all of us, and that we love her too.
Gemma succeeds in starting a girls' football team at her new school, but bitter rival Tyrone does everything he can to stop the girls playing. So begins a battle of wits between the girls and boys, and also between Gemma and sports teacher, Mrs Lawfo
