Birthday Memories: Sister Jane

When I turned 60 I was living in Wausau, Wis. Two of my sisters, Sisters Rita and Marietta, and my mother came to help me celebrate my birthday. They brought all kinds of little gifts – 60 raisins, 60 peanuts, 60 paper clips, etc. You get the idea.

When I turned 90, my youngest sister, Paulette, asked Sister Rita to pick up 9 helium balloons and present them while I was eating breakfast. What a surprise! My family waited until June to celebrate. I was invited to a family reunion at the Waterloo Veterans Memorial. When I walked in they all sang “Happy Birthday.” They used the family reunion idea to surprise me. It really was a family reunion because my immediate family and half of my 30 nieces and nephews were there too. It was a real surprise.

Sister Jane Barman, SDS