by Laura Knudsen
My sisters and I grew up three miles north of Bismarck on a small farm beside the Missouri River. Our father, Dann Knudsen, grew several acres of vegetables that he sold at local farmers markets each fall. However, his business, “River Road Gardens,” is more often remembered for its annual and perennial flowers.
Ellen, Ruth and I spent the majority of our childhood “helping dad” in the greenhouse or playing outside on our family’s nine acres of land. We did not always get along, but because we lived outside of town we were often each other’s only playmates. Usually we distracted ourselves by building hideouts in the forest, pretending we lived in the wilderness and exploring the riverbed with our dogs. One of our favorite activities, to the chagrin of our busy and hard working mother, was rolling around in the mud puddles after a good, hard rain.
We are each two years apart in age – I am the oldest at 25. Ellen, 23, is the middle sister, and Ruth, 21, is the youngest. We have an older brother, Travis, who is 36, and a younger brother, Michael, who is 18. As sisters, our relationships with each other have gone through many stages over the years. Sometimes they were strengthened by our closeness in age, and other times our ages were the cause of our quarrels.
Ruth often felt left out when we were very young, and with good reason. We often left her out simply because she was the youngest. Her usually quiet disposition contrasted by a tendency to whine made teasing her to the point of eruption very tempting to me as an older sister.
When our mother called us in, often by her unusually loud whistle, we knew we were in trouble. Her whistle pierced the air one bright, hot summer day, and I broke into a run toward home. Ellen, who was maybe six at the time, tripped somewhere on the dirt road behind me, and I kept running, yelling over my shoulder something like, “I’ll get help.” I was genuinely concerned, but I was also afraid that we had stayed out too long. Ellen doesn’t seem to remember the part of the story where I bravely ran for help, but she does remember me leaving her alone on the road. Sisters.
They can drive you crazy, but they can also be the greatest comfort in the world. Our father passed away from cancer when we were young. Ruth was seven, Ellen was eight, and I was ten. Death is an almost impossible thing to comprehend, even for many adults. But the presence of someone who truly understands, without having to tell you of the fact, is irreplaceable. We didn’t talk about it very much at the time, but as life went on (as it always does) I knew that if we could come out of that stronger, we could do anything.
During our teenage years we didn’t spend as much time together. We were growing up and searching out our separate identities, and life began to teach us about ourselves through very different lessons. We had different social circles and different priorities – obviously ourselves, as we were teenagers. And we were all using the entrepreneurial spirit our father and mother had given us in different ways.
But after all of the turmoil that adolescence naturally brings, we’ve come full circle and truly are each other’s best friends. We have many similar interests and passions, which have allowed us to spend more time together.
All of our different life experiences have made it possible for us to graduate together from Bismarck State College this May. I don’t think any of us would have guessed that our lives would have allowed us to spend our early 20s together. But I know that we will always cherish this time in our lives because we have become so close.
Education has become very important to all of us, and after graduation, the three of us have made plans that will take us farther away from each other than we’ve ever been.
Ruth will move to Berkeley, California this summer and work as a nanny until she gains residency in the state. Then she plans to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where she will pursue her Musical Education degree.
Ellen’s love of the outdoors influenced her decision to move to Bozeman, Montana this fall where she has found a job as a waitress close to Big Sky. After working hard to complete her studies at BSC, she plans to spend her days off skiing and enjoying the outdoors. When she returns to school, she will pursue a degree in Landscape Architecture and Design, which will allow her to use her artistic ability and feed her desire to work outside.
My passion for writing, information and communication lead me to pursue an education in Journalism. To increase my understanding and ability in the Spanish language, I am currently planning to spend a semester abroad studying Journalism in Antofagasta, Chile this fall. When I return to the U.S. I will continue my education at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
The physical distance that will separate my sisters and me will drastically change our relationships. But looking back at all of the things we’ve already overcome, I know that this will be just another chance to strengthen the love, appreciation and respect that we have for each other.