Lettuce Share

I haven’t seen my sister since last August.  She’s on a Family Hiatus in Ireland for a year.  We seem to keep in touch through our blogs more than anything else.  It’s my favorite distraction to check in and see what small glimpse of their day I get to share in.  Today my nephew, Dylan, was fascinated from a far by a snail.  Wednesday, she wrote about a tree that reminds her of me and my tree.  Although there are a few palms and cherry trees in our yard, there’s only one she could be talking about - Grandfather Grapefruit.

I love this tree!  Beyond its grapefruit and blossoms, it’s home to mockingbirds, spiders and air plants.  My orchid has thrived under its protective branches, and ball moss lives on its bark.

Grandfather Grapefruit makes me smile and so does my sister.  Of course, I knew this before reading this month’s All You magazine, but they backed up my findings with research:

Having a sister makes people happier and more optimistic, according to a 2009 U.K. report by researchers at the University of Ulster and De Montfort University.  The reason?  Female siblings give support and encourage their family members to communicate their emotions-which decreases stress, the study’s authors say.      

Thanks sis!  I’ll be thinking of you under the shade of the grapefruit tree.