frazzled & frumpy

I met Meg last year at our Listen to Your Mother rehearsal. She sat next to me and I was at once drawn to her, but also, completely intimidated by her vivacious personality. When she read her essay, I fell in love. Since then, our times together have been few (we live on opposite sides of Salt Lake, which sometimes feels like an ocean away), but through facebook and blogs, we keep in touch and I have had the enormous privilege of getting to know her and calling her friend. As one of the most gifted writers I’ve known or read, I feel a bit hesitant to write about her. But, it’s her birthday , and, this is my gift to her, because I can’t come to her house with a present in hand. I’d love to, though, because, Meg is the kind of person for whom you would take extra care in wrapping her gift. Because, she would appreciate every part of it. I imagine she would open it slowly, carefully, and, she’d probably save the ribbon. She would gush over the beauty of the package long bef...

I have six siblings. Three sisters and three brothers. (I’m a Libra, so things balance out.) I adore them all. But, there is only one who has been with me my whole, entire life. My older sister, Heidi. I may have been a bit of a disappointment to Heidi. She had an African-American doll and thought that for sure I should be born looking like it. Also, she wanted to name me Donna. Heidi and me with our Grandpa. Heidi is two and a half years older than me. She has gone before me always. Paving the way. I watched her with her friends, in school and at church. I watched how she dressed, how she talked and how she acted.  All the while, I tried to fit my steps to hers and follow along.  And, then, I didn’t.  In high school, our interests and aims diverged into different paths. She tried things I never dared. She had a confidence that terrified me. She dated boys I disliked, and then she married one.  But, it never changed how I felt about ...