Sisters....

Sisters, all my life I wanted a sister to play with or share secrets with; I had two older sisters, my dad's daughter Joy and my mom's daughter Jeanne neither of which lived with us and one who I had never met.

I adored my older sister Jeanne, she was my idol at times, someone I looked up to, wanted to be, envied and yearned for. The decade that separated us sometimes felt like thirty and at times I gave up ever having her approval. Somewhere in my late teens we grew close and she did her best to tame me (lol) but I was the wild child, a free spirit. Although we have not been close in years, the memories I have of her give me comfort and hope.

I had the honor of being a big sister to a wonderful brother for almost 50 years; Brad and I were brothers in arms, building forts, chasing Indians and yep even playing Barbies at times (although he used a "real" G. I. Joe doll). We went almost everywhere together during high school and traveled together for 20 years on and off as he and my husband were on the road working together. I miss him daily.

I was lucky enough to marry a man who had 4 sisters and several sisters by marriage; they have bad a huge impact on my life and I love them dearly. Without them my life would be empty at times, easier at times, but surely less fun!

And finally, I was blessed to meet a wonderful sister all those years ago in 9th grade; Janet has been there through it all and she is my sister in spirit and I love her dearly.

One of the best books I have ever read is The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd; not only does it tell of a girls search for a mother but the sisters in it are wonderful and the relationships they have with other women is how I see the world... we have sisters all around us if we just look.