SISTERS! I am Blessed with SEVEN!!!

This is the last Family Photo that was taken when we were all together, looks familiar because its on my Blog Page ~ I am blessed to be the oldest of ALL 8 Girls, and yes, we all have the same parents! Still alive & Kicking I might add!!

Johnson Girls with Mom & Dad ~ Summer 2001

We will all be together again this weekend for a long awaited reunion and a lot has happened in 9 years ~ (I hope I get this right) I got Divorced, moved from FL to NC and am now engaged to be married next Fall, Lydia got Married & became a Step Grandma, Irene (already married) bought a house & had a baby, Nili got married, traveled around the world, and had a miracle baby ~ Grace (already married) had two babies, Charity got married & had two babies, Doris got married & had three babies, Viviane got married, had a baby & is now divorced. Mom & Dad are still together, they sold the family home in SC and bought their retirement home in the NC mountains, they travel every year to India doing the missions work they love!

Mom & Dad in 1969

We are all going to be together this weekend ~ I think we are all excited and a little anxious as we are all very different individuals! Put any 8 grown women in a room and not all of them will agree, get along or even like each other! I am not sure if some of us would even know each other, aside from the fact that we are sisters, we have nothing in common, don't travel in the same cirles, don't believe the same things, don't raise our children the same way, I could go one and on about our vast differences but I am more inclined to focus on how awesome it is that we are all ALIVE, Healthy, Happy & We all LOVE each other! That in itself is a miracle!!

I used to have nightmares about one of us getting kid napped when we were younger, Mom always did a head count ~ We 'lost' a few over the years in stores or by leaving them sleeping in a car, but nothing that was not easily remedied!

I always liked the Russian Dolls, reminded me of me & my sisters, all alike, 8 little blondes in a row all dressed alike...

Being the oldest, I got to welcome each of them into the world. By the time the last 2 were born I was pretty much over it, I didn't want any more sisters.....I would not trade any one of them for all the wealth in the world...We are 8 sisters strong and even though we may not agree, we are always there for each other in the whatever way we can be, doing what we can to help the other out. 

I know if needed, any one of us would do whatever we could to help the other, because we love each other ~ Johnson Sisters, ALL for one and ONE for ALL!

Unfortunately, I have put my family through more Hell than most of the girls....just a brief history (bear with me as I go down memory lane for a moment) I left home a month before my 18th birthday, moved to NC and had very little contact with my family for about a year ( I was angry and bitter about everything)....My baby sister Viviane was just 5 years old so I missed out on her growing up more than any of the others. I got married that Winter & 2 years later had a son, the first grand baby and the first BOY!! Less than 2 years later, I was a single mom having no tolerance for a cheating husband! I went back to SC and my younger sisters were a lifesaver for me, taking turns watching my son as I worked 2 and/or 3 jobs sometimes to make ends meet.

Skeletons in the closet, we all have them...

I dated my 2nd ex husband for many years, first moved to FL then moved back to NC where I learned how to be a successful single woman & mom on my own ~ I moved to FL again, that is where he is from & once again had very little contact with my family ~ I got married a second time because I was pregnant (never a good reason, NEVER) He was very abusive in every way and as the years passed the abuse worsened. I hate to say, my family had to sit on the sidelines and watch the slow motion train wreck that was my life, It went on for over 10 years.....I self medicated with alcohol and my adult behavior was questionable at times, it took me a long time to leave him and even longer to get the help I needed to be the strong independent women my family knew me to be!! I always knew they were praying for me...even when I didnt know how to pray for myself!!

I stayed in FL working hard, going to therapy, attending self help groups, bonding with my rugrats, staying focused on being a good mom; I had given up on Love and that was when I reunited with my Mr. Man! He was the first man in the house aside from our Dad, All my sisters remembered him and he has fit into our family comfortably.

During some of the darkest moments in my life, It was my family that was there to rescue me, lift me up, give me a place to live, and at times even take care of me & my children. It was hard for them to see me battered and bruised and then watch as I would return for more......it was incomprehensible!! Yet, No matter how different we are, how many fights we have had or how much we tend to disagree, My sisters were ALWAYS there for me as much as they could be and without them, I would not be here today, steady and strong, kinder and gentler. forgiving and accepting ~ I guess I finally grew up....

It was just 2 years ago I gave them all a big scare when I fell 2 stories to the pavement, crushing my right ankle, left hand & shattered left eye socket ~ I could have died that night. I am no longer a dare devil, although I don't think I will ever be afraid of heights!When I was in the hospital, I found in my purse, handwritten notes addressed to each one of my sisters. Tears streamed down my face as I realized that those notes could have been the last ones they ever received from me! Thankfully, I am still able to write them letters & notes.....

This weekend will be filled with fun & Laughter and I am sure a sprinkle of tears will be mixed in too, you can't have an unemotional day with 8 women in the same room.  I got more personal about my own life in this blog, it felt good to write it all down, felt even better to be reminded of how awesome my sisters are, they have never let me down! I am Blessed beyond Measure ~ God has been Good to us all!!

My BFF's & A Quiet Day :)

I borrowed my BFF Chris' laptop today so as not to die of boredom at the house by myself ~ I could have come up with many other things to occupy my time but this has to be my favorite! Surfing the net, reading blogs from all over the world, I laughed out loud and cried tears of sadness and joy this afternoon. I had few house chores to do today, my other BFF Melanie will be over tomorrow to help me with the stuff I could not get to myself & we will watch Football Baby!!

The 2 people pictured in this blog are most important to me next to my family...The kind of friends who will always be there ~ we are permanent fixtures in each others lives and I cannot imagine life without them in it! I had a few beers with Chris last night before he took me home from work, we always have great conversation, I think that's what got our whole friendship started to begin with...We went down memory lane a bit, chuckled at how we actually met ( a story for another day) and rejoiced in each others personal growth. He told me he sees the same person but a very changed Sarah which made me feel very good about the progress I have made in the last 6 years. I told him his integrity has always inspired me to be a better person ~ to be impeccable with my word is such a challenge ~ MEAN WHAT YOU SAY AND SAY WHAT YOU MEAN ~ Easy to say but not so easy for me to do, but I work on it daily. Therapy was a key part in my re-birth after I left my second marriage. Along with prescribed medication for chemical imbalance/depression the therapy was necessary and I was blessed beyond measure that I got an awesome therapist the first time. Keri Bozzo, if I could ever find her to say Thank You ~ she helped me learn how to change my old patterns / habits and got me on the right track and I will be forever grateful to her for what she helped me with 8 years ago.

Melanie and I were instant friends when we met over 11 years ago and she has weathered the storms of life with me over and over & I with her, but that's what its all about right? I am lucky to have a guy BFF and a gal BFF :) We are all friends with each other and get together to hang out when our busy lives give us a chance. Since the accident I have had to lean on my friends more than ever and they have not disappointed me. Mel picks me up for work every morning until I can drive again, I am going to miss our visits when I don't need a ride anymore. We are all in this game of life together ~ the more support we give each other the better and easier it tends to be as opposed to going it alone without the love and understanding of a Best Friend Forever and I am lucky enough to have 2!!!

I had an alone day and it was blissful!! Its been a long time since I had the house to myself with no one to make any demands on me for any thing at all. I stayed on the phone eternally catching up with the girlfriends and sisters scattered all over...that can go on all day literally but enjoyable too :) My honey was hunting in the North Carolina woods, we got to chat a few times today ~ I am glad he had a day to himself as well. I grew up in such a big family with stuff going on all the time sooo it took me forever to be comfortable in peace & quiet...I wondered what my therapist meant when she told me to listen to my breathing... HUH?? I didn't know it could get that silent, now I cherish my alone time and days like today when I got to enjoy it almost all day long only engaging in conversation when I wanted to but also doing what I wanted to all day!

I am missing my sweetheart ~ we have to go longer than our usual every other weekend till our next visit but we will make it thru. I have soo much admiration for the military couples who sacrifice so very much couple time and family time for their service to our country for many months at a time, God Bless them all.

I wonder how much will change for us when we possibly take this relationship to the next step... I am happy to have a man who has his own hobbies and interests because I have my own as well and I have gotten used to my alone time... Its scary for both of us but we both know how important we are to each other and I absolutely cannot imagine living my life without him in it either! I was single for 8 years and happy to be that way, I always said I would rather be alone than have another complicated relationship ~ He has never once complicated my life but he has enhanced it greatly and I could not be happier about that.

We are both dealing with our respective ex-factors and I will be glad when everyone involved can just be a grown up about growing up! Its one thing to be playful but quite another to literally never grow up... That's supposed to be cliche' people!! No one WANTS to grow up but at some point it helps if you have your 'BIG BOY PANTS' or 'BIG GIRL PANTIES' on...otherwise its just downright annoying! and that's how I really feel.

I will not Blog on Sundays ~ I feel I need to make a rule for myself, give myself some boundaries so it doesn't get out of hand ~ I will still write in my journals just not as much as I used to...this is much more fun!