I was three years old when I wandered into my sisters' bedroom. Before me lay a mirror gently propped against the wall surrounded by a selection of various hair care products, all sorts of make up, and every color nail polish a girl could imagine. Basically everything that a three year old girl could hope to get in to. After glancing around and realizing that all these goodies were left unguarded, I quickly hunkered down and set to work. Almost immediately, I jumped up and started wailing. I had sat on my sister Bernice's curling iron that she had left on. This is my earliest memory - Bernice's curling iron burning my skin.
Following suit, throughout my life, my sister left a lasting impression on me. She showed me how to keep striving to reach your full potential, and follow your heart, even when the odds are against you. She taught me to be kind, not only to others, but to yourself. And to have fun doing all of it. Bernice was determined, some say stubborn, but, since this is a trait we share, I'll go with determined. She decided what she wanted to do and then went out and did it - whether it was going back to school to get her P.A. degree with three young children or pontooning across Pokegama Lake in a storm to have dinner with her sisters and mother.
She cared deeply for others, I recall her telling me why she left her clinical practice - she said "I just worry so much about them [my patients]." She knew she had to care for herself too, or she would be of no help to anyone. I know I am not the only one that Bernice left a lasting impression upon. I am surrounded by people who feel the same way. She made a difference in our family, our community, and the world. Much like the curling iron shaped scar that remains on my right thigh, her impression is permanent. Unlike the scar, her impression is beautiful.
