A guest post from my sister Lizzie

The Art of Avoiding Pain (TAOAP) has grown by about 5,000 words since I was last here. In other words, NOT NEARLY ENOUGH. But thanks to my lovely sisters this blog doesn't have to suffer for it. Here is my sister Liz talking about what it's like being the fourth child out of five and how she's personally been affected by my compulsion to save the Earth:

I am equally excited as Jan about being asked to be a guest blogger here. A little bit about me: I am number 4 out of 5. Though I am not the youngest of the five, I have always been regarded as the “baby.” In fact until I was about 18, maybe older, it was strictly how I was referred to at home -- “Baby.” Jan still has her slip-ups every now and again, which by the way, our high school kids DO NOT need to hear about because I will forever be referred to as such. I can't have 90 plus students calling me “Baby”! If you did not read the previous post I, too, am a high school teacher. My classroom is directly next door to my older sister, Jan. I think that our hallway could seriously be a sitcom or maybe even a novella.

Anyway, being the 4^th child you rarely have any firsts of your own. I was not the first to graduate high school, go to college, get married or have children. Though I do have a few firsts worth mentioning. I was the first to get caught sneaking out of my mom’s house, first to throw a hell of a party at my mom’s house, first to get a tattoo, first to inhale marijuana (shhh. This may need editing), and first to get a Master’s degree. (I didn’t kill all my brain cells.)

I think that, though you don’t get to experience the “firsts” by being the fourth child, you are at more of an advantage because you can learn from your sibling’s mistakes as well their achievements. Jan is still teaching me ways to become a better teacher. She is great at knowing her subject matter but also in being innovative in her classroom. Irene (third in line) has taught me about having a voice. She has taught me the importance in community service, reaching out, making a difference. She truly believes that we have the power to change our environments. My brother Gilbert (the actual baby) has taught me about perseverance and hope.

As wild as I may sound, I have to say that I eventually became a more responsible adult. I owe most of that to my Mom but also to my very responsible older sister, Cathy. (editor's note: The word VERY should probably be removed.) She was the one who set the example for education being important. Like my Dad, she pushed me to get good grades, use a dictionary, thesaurus, read, read, read. I remember watching her walk across the stage with a degree in Agricultural Science and thinking that this wasn’t just any degree that she was receiving. It was difficult. I watched her painstakingly study Organic Chemistry and other science classes that I had trouble even pronouncing. This was all for a sincere love for the environment. Today we hear people talking about going green, recycling, protecting the ozone, but my sister Cathy was in high school screaming “Save the Earth” over 20 years ago! She scolded me to turn off lights, recycle, not to be wasteful, and educated me about water conservation! She felt so passionately about these things that she made it her career. Meanwhile her true love-- writing-- had to sit backseat to issues she believed she had to fix. Her determination and excitement for learning instilled in me the idea of love for other “things” outside myself. To that I owe her gratitude. So, now it is time for her true love to get the attention it truly deserves! (Finally!!)

Thanks, Liz! And thanks to you too, Jan!