"My Sister, Our Switzerland"
Every family needs a Switzerland. Right? The one who stays neutral. The one who mediates between warring, familial factions. The one who is emotionally invested in family peace and harmony. My sister, Barbara, plays that role in our family and she plays it well. I often refer to her as the “glue that holds our family together.” Maybe we should refer to her as “Elmer.” (Dad joke. Sorry. It’s who I am.) Barbara was born in 1946 and is the eldest of the Munson kids. She is the only sibling that was alive and present to welcome her four brothers into the world. Maybe that is why she takes ownership of this task. I know that my eldest daughter, Maelynne, functions similarly with her four siblings. Being almost 13 years my senior, Barb was already in her late teens by the time I was 4 or 5 years old... the age that typically represents one’s earliest memories. I was very attached to her. My view of her was more as a second mom than it was a sibling. She loved me, nu...