Gratitude, Part 6

Kelli at There is No Place Like Home, is doing a "Giving Thanks" week. I thought I would link this post to her site. Thanks, Kelli, for helping us appreciate this time of year!

Today I am grateful for sisters. As the youngest of three girls, I feel that I have been very blessed to know all the great things that come from having sisters.

My sisters are Michele, who is 9 years older than me, Suzette, who is 7 years older than me, and Amy who is 3 years older than me. I still have a slight case of hero worship attached to them; if they say it, inevitably I will want to do exactly what they said. When we were little, the older ones seemed so knowledgeable and so capable. I can remember them helping cook dinner with my mom and helping around the house. I remember when I broke my arm and my mom was out of town on business. Michele left work early and took me to the hospital to get my arm fixed. The things they did that I watched, like driving a car, graduating from high school, going on dates with boys, seemed so grown up.

Amy, on the other hand, was a true sister. One early memory I have is when I left one of her records (I think it was the soundtrack from Mary Poppins, but I can’t be sure) out where the sun could reach it in our shared pink bedroom. When I discovered that it was warped, I hid it under her bed so that she wouldn’t find it immediately when she came home from school. Another time, we were both standing outside our hometown gymnastics gym, waiting for rides that would take us to another gym 2 towns away. We were both with our friends, and we were fighting about something. I was mad at her, and wanted to do something rash, so I reached out my hand scratched her forehead with my thumbnail! She was furious, and I was frightened for my life. I don’t think she retaliated, but it was scary (and strangely exhilarating!) all the same.

I have tried to watch and learn from my sisters. I followed the same educational path as Amy by majoring in English. Books and reading and writing are some of our favorite things to talk about when we are together. I also watched her go through some impressively tough trials, and I saw her emerge stronger and more focused than I had ever imagined a person could be. She has been a great example to me in many ways. I watched another sister lose her young husband and take up the trial of widowhood with 4 young daughters. I am still amazed at how she put her life back together and has raised them so well alone. I also watch a sister battle alcohol dependence, and have watched her very personal trials become very public in our family. I know she battles her demons each day, and is trying to overcome them with all that she has.

My sisters lives are so tied to my own, and their trials will always be my sorrows. I wish with all that I am that I could make it better, but we all have to work out our lives on our own. I just hope that they know how much I love them, and that my life would be diminished without them in it.

In August of 2006, Amy and I hiked Timpanogas together. We had a wonderful morning hiking the mountain, and reached the summit pretty early. It was a popular day to hike, since it was the weekend before Labor Day. As we were at the summit, eating our lunch and talking to one another, I saw Stephanie, my friend Melanie’s sister. Stephanie and I had only met a few times before, but we still chatted for a while and she took a picture of Amy and me together. When I went to introduce Amy to Stephanie, I introduced her as Mel’s sister, and we remarked on how we were each from families of 4 daughters. Amy and Steph liked that they were both in the “prime” position of being the third daughter in the family. As we chatted, I inwardly smiled that the three of us were linked in our understanding of being and having sisters, and recognizing that part of ourselves in each other. I feel blessed each day that God gave me sisters, and I hope they know how special they are to me.