My Sister Amy

Every now and then I write a tribute to someone I really admire (okay, so I've only done it once before). I think it's way past time for my sister Amy to be admired for her good qualities.

Everyone in my family loves Amy. She is a peacemaker and she loves everyone. This week, I was thinking about how Amy would react to dumb things that annoy me. I got mad because someone did not do something I asked them to do, so I did it and threw out a sarcastic comment about it. Then I realized Amy would have said, "Don't worry about that, I took care of it already." Someone else might just do it and not say anything, but she would tell you. And you would know that she wasn't doing it spitefully. Wow. That is talent.

Amy is the best example of a person living a balanced life. I don't even know how to explain this other than to give examples. She doesn't buy a lot of clothes, but she mixes and matches to look nice. She has learned to incorporate all kinds of international foods into her diet. She figures out how much of each food group James needs for each meal. She has a list of the cost per ounce of items at Costco so she can compare them at other stores. She walks anywhere within a mile and a half of her house to not pollute.

Everything she does is precise and methodical, but you can tell from talking to her it's because she has tried out several ways and proven that that way works the best for her.

Amy reads all sorts of things, from political news and novels to scientific discoveries and philosophy. She can analyze any writing and give good input. She reads her scriptures regularly and is so humble.

The most impressive things to me are Amy's abilities to balance logic and emotion. (I remember studying the Age of Reason and how they had to react to it by balancing science, art, logic, and emotion) Amy can also balance women's rights and men's rights. I recognize that the best advocate of women's rights doesn't reject men's rights, but I don't always have the best view of ascribed women's roles. Amy, a beautiful, intelligent, and kind person can stand up for women's rights and also be a married mother. She enjoys it, too.

Talking to Amy on the phone is always enjoyable, uplifting, and helpful. I'm so glad she's my sister and I hope I can become more like her.

Here is a cute picture of Amy with James. As you can see, even James wants to be like her.