Linda has left the room but not our lives. She continues to brighten my life with memories of happy times we shared and her infectious laughter lingers in my mind. I cherish the memory of her telling one of her favorite stories from when we were kids- Here's how I remember it- There we were in Hinckley, Ohio on a bright sunny Sunday afternoon following Mass. More than likely, I still had my crisp white shirt on as we collected grapes from along our property line and stuck them in my Spiderman lunchbox. I'm sure Linda reminded me that Mrs. Teets would yell at us if she caught us-but it didn't interrupt my mission. I ran into the house and climbed on top of the counter to steal a cup of sugar to mix with the sour grapes. I had a brilliant idea! I took my shoes and socks off and proceeded to stomp on the grapes with full intention of making a good cup of wine-worthy of sharing with others I'm sure. When I saw that I had a chunky mess, I closed the lid and proceeded to shake the mixture vigorously as Linda looked on with a dazed look - her mouth and eyes were wide open- if you know Linda, you probably know the look I'm talking about...she probably couldn't believe my stupidity. Linda contacted "the authorities" immediately of my crimes which included breaking my mom's cookie jar that was blocking the sugar container, leaving a trail of sugar on my mom's clean floor, the ruin of my lunchbox and the resulting stains on my shirt. Linda would be so pleased that I made you smile- or cringe. I love you Linda- You're right here in my heart and you're still my big sister! Love, John
