Sisters

Lately I have been feeling a little bit spoiled. Yes it’s true. You see… I have 4 sisters (and 2 more through marriage!) and I love them all!  The past week I have been able to spend some quality time with a few of them, and it has me feeling pretty happy.

Last week I went to a dance convention with my bebe sister for the FIRST TIME! Even though we have spent many years dancing together, we had never gone to a convention. Think many styles+8 hrs of dancing for a few days. We were sore to say the least, and I may have felt just a bit old… but did I ever enjoy myself. It always makes me emotional to see my sister dance. Understanding what it means to her, and seeing her show her heart when it proves difficult through other avenues. I know what dance means to me, and the role it has played in finding healing through lifes’s sorrows. I know it means something similar to my sister.

I haven’t lived close to my sisters for several years… in particular my oldest sister! She moved out when I was 12… and while we have spent extended time around each other, it has been almost 15 years since we have been a part of daily going ons in one another’s lives… So, now that she lives just an hour away, I am soaking it up as much as possible. It helps that she has a cute new baby to cuddle, and my 3yo adores her 5 yo… We were able to sneak away for a steam and some good talks yesterday… luxury in the lives of busy mamas of 2. I value her heart and wisdom, and her willingness to learn from life’s challenges.  Funny how quickly a 6 year gap can close when you are in the midst of marriage and babies…

Which leads me to my very bebe sister… who I am living in the same city as for the first time since I was 19!! It is exciting to get to know her as a young woman, and be a part of life’s decisions and disappointments. The big firsts… like moving out and getting a job! Owning your first car… and realizing you need mittens and winter tires. Laughing and knitting resentments… {ahem}

So much laughter. And some tears too. My sisters and I have been through some of the same challenges… one of life’s hardships we will always share is losing our dad. There are some feelings we share, and some we don’t. But, for all those life events he isn’t here for, it’s special to hear what dad did when someone moved out or graduated. Words he shared on a wedding day… Remembering the little things that led us to love him. His absence seems to be especially felt when we are in those life defining moments… when we welcome another little grand baby that he will not kiss.  Bitter sweet. Yet the sweetness of life outweighs the sour taste of loss. We still have eachother.

We might fight or disagree, we may run into eachothers arms. We will be forever tied together through sisterhood.