Sister

I’m cheating a bit today, repurposing something I wrote a while back in honor of National Sibling’s Day. It’s National Sisters Day, and the message, with a few updates, still fits.

So much of my strength and most definitely much of my courage is influenced by my sister.

She is brilliant is so many ways, perceptive, honest, pragmatic, and brave. She’s taught me more than she may ever realize by the way she approaches the world and everything in it.

She has a caring spirit that bubbles up at just the right moments. Some of my most loved possessions are gifts she’s given me, trinkets and treasures that perfectly capture a moment or an emotion.

She is also hands-down one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. Some of my best memories in life are of the two of us laughing hysterically together.

During the past year, we’ve weathered many challenges together. Any one of them could have driven us apart, could have broken the multi-layered trust and care built over a lifetime together, the friendship that rests on top of our biological connection. It’s not unusual, when illness, death, or other circumstances occur, for families to splinter.

We chose, however, to stay united. We chose to remain sisters, allies from birth to death. We are each individuals with differences in likes and dislikes, opinions, perspectives, hopes and dreams. Yet, we are each one half of the other.

So, Happy Sisters Day to my sister. I’ve never quite gotten over the fact that our mother occasionally made us go to school in matching outfits, and I know the same is true for you. Thank goodness we are able to laugh about it together.

“i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)” – e.e. cummings