More than anyone in this world, I adore my sister. She’s my favorite person, and the one I usually turn to first to share triumphs and hysterical moments, as well as frustrations and defeats.
Trust me, we weren’t always close. We had the typical, stereotypical love-hate sibling relationship growing up. As much as I loath to admit it, I was somewhat of a brat during the majority of our childhood (I know, you’re asking yourself, “only somewhat?”). I tell her that she’s a stronger person today from having suffered through all of those miserable moments and years of my bossiness and obnoxious behavior – she quickly adds that I just say that to make myself feel better. Perhaps she is correct. But as I’m the author here, I’ll stick by my line, even if it is my slightly romanticized, revisionist view of the past.
We successfully weathered a childhood and early adulthood where we sometimes got along, but were not particularly close. We lived our separate lives and journeyed forward more as acquaintances than friends. Though when we were young, there were times when we banded together against my parents – as a sister is the best person to serve as a partner in crime (of course, this differs from the times I set her up to get in trouble with our parents). In my memories, these distinctive moments of closeness usually occurred on our annual family vacations – which for those of you who don’t know our history, consisted of driving across the country with my parents exploring popular as well as out-of-the-way adventures. Our family vacations were typically two to three weeks, though our west coast adventure lasted five weeks and our Alaska trek nearly eight. On these trips, we had only each other and usually bickered less, much to my parents’ pure joy I’m assuming. We spent hours in the car reading, playing games, braiding yarn octopuses and driving my parents up the wall. We chased each other at the many campgrounds that we called our temporary homes. We slept head-to-head down the aisle of our van turned camper. We explored fabulous city blocks, trekked up mountainsides, played tag in campground pools, sang John Denver and Kenny Rogers tunes at the top of our lungs and continually gave our parents a run for their money.
Now with both of us well into adulthood (though we typically don’t act it), she is one of my best friends, and I love her more than any other. 2007 brought a major change to my sister’s life. She gave birth to two beautiful twin girls, who are now close to five months old. I’ve had the joy of watching her transform into her role as mother. She loves her girls and is so tender with them. I feel my heart swell every time I watch her with them. The girls are blessed to have my sister as their mother, as I am blessed she is my sister. She loves them fiercely and will protect them always while allowing them to test the boundaries. She will nurture them into amazing human beings. (I would be negligent if I didn’t add that my brother-in-law is also a critical link of this equation. He’s a phenomenal dad.)
Here are some quotes that reflect my relationship with my sister:
“Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister.” ~Alice Walker
“If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child.” ~Linda Sunshine
“A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double.” ~Toni Morrison
“She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child." ~Barbara Alpert
“One of the best things about being an adult is the realization that you can share with your sister and still have plenty for yourself." ~Betsy Cohen
Trust me, we weren’t always close. We had the typical, stereotypical love-hate sibling relationship growing up. As much as I loath to admit it, I was somewhat of a brat during the majority of our childhood (I know, you’re asking yourself, “only somewhat?”). I tell her that she’s a stronger person today from having suffered through all of those miserable moments and years of my bossiness and obnoxious behavior – she quickly adds that I just say that to make myself feel better. Perhaps she is correct. But as I’m the author here, I’ll stick by my line, even if it is my slightly romanticized, revisionist view of the past.
We successfully weathered a childhood and early adulthood where we sometimes got along, but were not particularly close. We lived our separate lives and journeyed forward more as acquaintances than friends. Though when we were young, there were times when we banded together against my parents – as a sister is the best person to serve as a partner in crime (of course, this differs from the times I set her up to get in trouble with our parents). In my memories, these distinctive moments of closeness usually occurred on our annual family vacations – which for those of you who don’t know our history, consisted of driving across the country with my parents exploring popular as well as out-of-the-way adventures. Our family vacations were typically two to three weeks, though our west coast adventure lasted five weeks and our Alaska trek nearly eight. On these trips, we had only each other and usually bickered less, much to my parents’ pure joy I’m assuming. We spent hours in the car reading, playing games, braiding yarn octopuses and driving my parents up the wall. We chased each other at the many campgrounds that we called our temporary homes. We slept head-to-head down the aisle of our van turned camper. We explored fabulous city blocks, trekked up mountainsides, played tag in campground pools, sang John Denver and Kenny Rogers tunes at the top of our lungs and continually gave our parents a run for their money.
Now with both of us well into adulthood (though we typically don’t act it), she is one of my best friends, and I love her more than any other. 2007 brought a major change to my sister’s life. She gave birth to two beautiful twin girls, who are now close to five months old. I’ve had the joy of watching her transform into her role as mother. She loves her girls and is so tender with them. I feel my heart swell every time I watch her with them. The girls are blessed to have my sister as their mother, as I am blessed she is my sister. She loves them fiercely and will protect them always while allowing them to test the boundaries. She will nurture them into amazing human beings. (I would be negligent if I didn’t add that my brother-in-law is also a critical link of this equation. He’s a phenomenal dad.)
Here are some quotes that reflect my relationship with my sister:
“Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister.” ~Alice Walker
“If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child.” ~Linda Sunshine
“A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double.” ~Toni Morrison
“She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child." ~Barbara Alpert
“One of the best things about being an adult is the realization that you can share with your sister and still have plenty for yourself." ~Betsy Cohen
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