A Sister Tribute
Last week we celebrated my almost Irish Twin sister’s 31st birthday. I was 13 months old when she was born in February 1989. Followed by our last baby sister in fall of 1990. Three girls in three years! (followed by 5 boys, but more on that later!). What a wonder-woman mother we have, who blessed us with nothing short of an amazing childhood. Connected at the hips, the three of us had our amateur ABJ (Alex, Britt, Janie) clubs, played house, barbies, sat on the same sports teams benches, and had hilarious adventures. Most all of my childhood pictures feature them. The older I get, the more the teenage fighting blurs, and the less it even seems to matter. If I try hard, I can remember the brutal pinching wars over stolen outfits, and slammed doors at the missed bus times. Yet, for the most part, those feel insignificant. What remains, is the strong strength our current sister bond, united through zip code changes and life stage differences. Just like last Thursday, when my little sons sang their aunt’s birthday tribute on a call in from our kitchen to theirs. It was us sisters, watching our now baby cousins, blank stare at each other into a future full of family connections. Or just like these pictures from last December, as we stood by the baby one and poured our hearts to a room full of closest wedding guests. That unconditional love, and unwavering support. This is the blessing of my sisters.
I find myself reflecting more often on my own childhood as we raise our own sibling gang, except this triangle is male ;) I love to analyze their young sibling dynamics and dream of the memories they will share. I think about how I have personally found that healthy sibling relationships are one of the cornerstones to a happy and peaceful life. Yes, it is our sisters (siblings) who will challenge us in the worst ways. Yes, it is their life we will naturally compare next to ours, (with the closest aged one the most!). And yes, it is they who will lead us in a unique way to the path of self-discovery and acceptance.
I remember reading somewhere, how “your siblings are most often the people you spend the most time with on earth. Your spouse and children come later in life, you usually out live your parents and generally friends and neighbors change through the seasons. Siblings are your shared blood life long companions.” Wow, there is no overplaying the built in best friends for life adage. Your siblings are truly your life’s story main characters, your ideal best friends. And I’m lucky enough to have seven of them! With this birthday girl the closest ;) I’m so grateful for the woman she is, and all that she continues to teach me year after year. Sisters are such amazing gifts! I will never tire of learning to understand my sisters, accepting our similarities and differences and building new life memories together, especially now that we are all married status ;) Today, I pray for peace and love to all sisters out there, and especially for the mamas raising their own new tribe, I promise it’s worth every second! Sending love, and a happy belated birthday to mine!
