70 YEARS OF TESSIE

Or how I learned to appreciate people.

My older sister (much older) is celebrating her birthday today. I always felt that it is a bigger day than my own birthday. Why? Because she has always been there for me, when I was little and didn’t understand things, she reassured me. When I crossed a street, it was with her hand wrapped tightly around mine.

When we got older and didn’t always agree, we fought, just like any sibling would. But she was there, and I always knew she would be.

She knew Peter Sellers

I composed a Power Point of her life based on all the photos I could find. This presentation included her children, grandchildren and of course her husband John. It is a normal family that is very lucky that the parents are who they are, and Tess sits as the centerpiece.

She may be 70, but she looks a great deal younger, and always remains beautiful. Something the other 3 sisters also have.

When we were young, Dad would send us out with money to Piken Avenue in Brooklyn to buy cigarettes, candy and whatever else he needed for Olympia’s Gift shop, (In those days things were very much different), we would sometimes hop on the BMT and go to Manhattan too. We always completed our mission, because she was in charge. I was maybe 8 or 9 and she was 12 or 13.

She was a rock to my parents to this day, when Mom will need her assistance, no matter how busy Tess is. She will drop what she is doing and off she goes. But if you need her for any reason, she will come running, sometimes you don’t need to ask, like an angel she appears, in all her glory.

One of many she twisted off my shoulders!

I am lucky that she is my older sister, I couldn’t have survived without her, especially on the streets of Bed-Sty, East New York and Bushwick. She always threw a watchfilled eye over her younger brother.

Happy Birthday Theresa, I love you, and thanks for the best older sister  a guy could have.

Love,

Forever younger

Joe