One of the burdens I was forced to endure in my childhood was a pesky little sister. She was insufferable and, at four years my junior, way too young to be any fun. My mother always forced my brother and me to include her in our activities. It was like having an extra shadow. It was traumatic to say the least.

As we all grew older and eventually up, we managed to transform into young adults. The burden became less, and eventually the accidental friendship that occurs amongst siblings took place.

Life happened and we are no longer young. We are also no longer geographically close.

According to Google Maps, we live 1517 miles apart. We don't have coffee together nearly often enough. When we do, it's a delightful time. It is funny how that annoying little shadow metamorphosed into a refreshing visitor.

My sister Leah and her husband are visiting us this week. They are from very northern Minnesota. Their trip to North Carolina fast forwarded their spring to summer.

Today we visited the village of Oriental, North Carolina. It is always a fun place to visit. Today it was even more fun.

There is really no moral to this story. Enjoy your family.