Sisters

My oldest sister is just over 9 hears older than me. As a little girl, she was my idol. I always wanted to do things with her and be right beside her. She was a best friend, but due to the big age difference, she was also a second mother. She spoiled me, but also made me behave. That was a BIG job, let me tell you.

I'm the youngest of five children. As the baby, I got spoiled by everyone. My nickname was Brat, and I surely lived up to it. I'm glad Debbie loved me in spite of it all.

As I got older, I went through the usual self centered teen years and pulled away. She had started her family and that kept her busy. My family started soon after. We didn't have this handy dandy thing called the Internet or unlimited long distance. We saw each other at family holidays and spoke on the phone a couple of times a year. We managed to stay connected, however thin the apron strings.

And then my mom died. She is the one that called to tell me. As we sat on the phone dumbfounded, the silence was filled with the understanding that only exists between two sisters.  She the oldest, me the youngest, we are the bookends of our family. But together we make a complete set. We knew each others pain, knew there was nothing that could or needed to be said, and knew from that moment on, things would be different.

And they have been. We have "therapy sessions" at least once a month that can last upwards of four hours on the phone. When someone asks me what we talk about for that long, I always answer "Oh, you know - everything!" That sisterly/motherly relationship has taken on new meaning. For both of us. The age difference is still there, but seems far less important these days. Sometimes I need advice and sometimes I'm giving it. We fill that role of confidant for each other that no one else can. I'm so grateful for her in every way.

My girls have nearly the exact same age difference as we do, too. It's so neat to see how their relationship mirrors ours at times. I've raised them to love each other no matter what. I take a lot of solace in knowing they will have each other to lean on throughout their lives. No relationship really equals that of sisters.