In January I realized that my sister, Jeanette, was feeling a bit invisible. She had been job-hunting since late in 2008, and her impending 60th birthday in April made her hopes of employment fade like a tan in December.

A party ought to do it, so I decided to surprise her by inviting our brothers. We had only been together once for a brief visit since Dad died in 2001.

Of our three brothers, the one we see most often is Denny, who was here with his family at Thanksgiving. Walter moved to Maui at the end of 2007, and had not been back since. John lives close to Denny near Helena, Mont., but because the rest of us made frequent pilgrimages to the homeland, he had not come to Washington in almost 20 years.

Within a few days of receiving the invitation, the brothers enthusiastically committed to the party. Apparently all I had to do was ask!

I told Jeanette to keep open the weekend of April 17 for a “surprise” party, beginning with dinner on that Friday night. She gave me a quizzical look, but agreed, and provided me with the addresses of all her friends. I sent out the invitations, telling everyone that Jeanette knew about the party, but the “surprise” was that all of our brothers were coming.

When Jeanette arrived (after work at a short-term job) for dinner on Friday, April 16, she greeted Lenny and our son, John, and took a seat at the kitchen counter. First, Denny and his daughter, Erin, walked in with big hugs for her. Then my nephew, Kevin, and his wife, Leann, came up behind her. She laughed and hugged them. When John and his wife, Judy, walked in, she screamed.

We told her we were sorry that we couldn’t get a complete sibling set, but she kept looking around for Walt. When he finally came into the room she cried. Mission accomplished.

It was an amazing evening, just sibs and kids and spouses. We managed to accommodate everyone on beds and couches.

Her friends arrived on Saturday for the “surprise” party. It was the biggest group I’ve ever had at my house. The guests were glad for the chance to finally meet all of Jeanette’s brothers. Lenny and Tom Falcone, “The Rigatones” serenaded the birthday girl until she blushed.

On Sunday we had six computers on the table so we could share personal photos and funny clips. We laughed until we cried. We stayed up late talking. We ate. I watched Jeanette fill up again with the love of her family. She was no longer invisible, she was glowing. Sometimes all you have to do is ask.

Patty Luzzi has lived on the Eastside for 33 years. Readers can contact her at pattyluzzi@yahoo.com.