.brave.

This is me with my little sister, Mary Ann.

Let me tell you just a little bit about her.

She is one of the sweetest human beings I have ever met.

Truly sincere and kind hearted and completely without guile.

I have never heard her say anything negative, mean or unkind about anyone.  Ever. 

Now, I know that you are all asking yourselves, 

"How is this possible that you and Mary Ann are related?"

You are right.  I am really not like her at all.  

But when I'm around her, I try to be like her.  

A little kinder.  A little sweeter.  She makes me want to be a little bit better.

One of my favorite memories of Mary Ann, was when we were about 8 and 10 years old,

 and we got our tonsils taken out at the same time.

Together, we went to the hospital. 

(Back in the "olden days" you had to stay a couple of days in the hospital.)  

Both of us had our dad give us a priesthood blessing the night before the surgery.

I remember waking up from the anesthesia and looking over to her 

and was comforted knowing that she was in the room with me. 

And of course, I remember laying on the couch together, 

recovering from the surgery and sucking on popsicles for days together.

But the thing I remember most was that even though she was my little sister,

 she was much braver than I was.

Well, here we are almost 40 years later, and tomorrow morning,

once again, we will be in a hospital together.

But this time, she is the only one having surgery.

Hopefully, this time, I can be the one that will bring her some comfort, help ease the pain,

 and maybe, just maybe, I can be the one that is just a little bit braver.

And in the meantime, I get to hang out with these two adorable little girls all week long.

Go ahead!  Be jealous!