|
 My
sister Christine was a remarkable person and the envy of everyone.
I called her, “Chrissie”. Chrissie
was one of those people everyone wanted to be around.
She was nine years older than me, and was like a second mother to
me more than just a sister.
We
grew up together in
San
Leandro
California
, (
Oakland-SF
Bay
area) in a middle class neighborhood.
Chrissie went to live with my grandmother
in San Antonio
Texas when I was seven years
old, so I really never saw much of my sister after that.
In
1969 at 19, my sister met and married a musician/songwriter, Carl Barnwell, with a British rock band
called, “Mathews Southern Comfort.”
She lived in an apartment in
San
Francisco
for
a short time and I visited her on occasion.
The rock band suddenly shot into stardom with a rendition of a
Janis Joplin tune entitled, “
Woodstock
”,
after the event in 1969 in
Woodstock
New
York
.
The band’s popularity was so sudden and intense the band’s
founder, Ian Mathews,
bowed out of the picture, and the group renamed
itself, “Southern Comfort.”
(Southern Comfort
was Janis Joplin's Alcoholic drink of preference)
They
adopted the logo from the American
South's
Whisky, “Southern Comfort”, and began a world tour as the sole opening
band for ROD STUART !!! My
family went to see them perform at the
University
of California
Berkley
in
Berkley
California
in
1972.
While at that concert we had an unsual experience that the story even made it into Readers Digest! The concert was put on by a concert promoter named "BILL GRAHAM". Obviously he had no relation to Billy Graham the evangelist! But here comes in 30+ of my family and my Brother-in-laws family dressed in suits and ties to a ROD STUART concert!!! Visualize That!!! Well, one of the promoters associates was so concerned about it he rushed up and exclaimed, "THIS IS NOT A BILLY GRAHAM EVENT"! After we got off the floor from laughing so hard we reassured him it was ok!
 After
the world tour with Rod Stuart, the band Southern Comfort returned to
London
England
and
did like so many one hit wonder bands do.
They faded into obscurity. My
sister lived in
London
for
over 14 years, obtained a bachelor degree in fashion design, and
ultimately divorced the man she married in 1969.
My
sister, like many Europeans, vacationed in
Greece
,
and found a new love interest. He
was a merchant seaman on a Greek freighter called the, “Sea Lion.”
It was owned by Greeks, but registered in some Central American
country to avoid taxes. They
also hauled embargoed American grain to forbidden countries like
Libya
.
My sister lived on the ship for a year with her husband Yiorgos, or
George, in English.
 They
moved to
Athens
and
lived there until she passed away in 1998 of breast cancer.
Chrissie
legally adopted her husband's son. Demitri now holds both Greek and
American citizenship. Chrissie had a love for animals and
had exotic parrots, and a pet monkey she bought while in Africa. I
built a large cage for the monkey named, "Antoinetta."
Chrissie's home was always filled with friends and visitors, in stark
contrast to a typical American home. My sister would often cook
dinner for 6 or more guests at the evening meal, something she loved to
do. She was a gourmet cook before she moved to Europe.
My sister had little money, but attracted people with great wealth
for friends.
One
of many times that I was in
Greece
visiting her she tells me we are invited to a cocktail party.
Hummm… A cocktail
party? I don’t drink, but
I’m curious to see what it’s all about.
I knew she had wealthy friends, but they were mostly Greek, which
made it difficult for me to judge importance.
So a taxi drops us off at this Villa overlooking the
Mediterranean
Sea
on
a high bluff, expensive even by Greek standards, and my mouth drops open
at this palatial house. There
are all these waiters waiting hand and foot on you, and all these high
class suit and tie executive types, and women with evening gowns priced
way up there! I did wear a
tie, but all I had for shoes was my sneakers.
I spent an inordinate amount of time hiding my feet under tables!!!
The first man that came up to us to introduce himself besides the
host and hostess, was the Irish ambassador to Greece.
Gulp, I’m in the wrong crowd!
The whole evening was like something out of a James Bond movie.
If I put an olive pit in an ash tray, suddenly out of the shadows,
a waiter would dash out and scoop it up and wipe out the ash tray!!! I
was scared to move!
 My
sister Christine taught Sunday school and loved children, but most notably
was a servant to all people. “She
was a giver.”
My
sister’s life was a major adventure beginning to end, I, wish I could
have been more a part of it.
A
"Born Again" Greek Orthodox, like my sister Christine was, are
those who are Baptized into the Greek Orthodox faith but have also
embraced fundamentalist Christianity. Kind of like the pope marrying
a protestant. An unlikely marriage to say the least, but for my
sister was one that worked.
 My
sister attended the Hellenic International Fellowship located in Athens
Greece. Though members hold a great deal of respect for certain
Orthodox beliefs, but they are very open about their faith in and love for
Christ. Services gush with expressive joy in Jesus Christ and active
celebratory worship. Call them "Out of the closet
Christians."
They
hold to a literal interpretation of the Bible with biblical principles
ruling their lives. Their love is genuine, as for a year and a half
as my sister was sick with cancer, members would come to her home and do
chores for her. While lying in the hospital dying, members from her
church stayed with my sister 24 hours a day in her room. This was
the book of Acts in the Bible revisited.
--------------------------------------------------------
In 1986 my sister and I started a Greek Import business. We had two retail stores that we had for 3 years. It was a lot of fun, and we met some interesting people along the way!
My
sister's home in Athens Greece
GO TO MY PERSONAL PAGE
|
