Between Sisters

I was almost 10 when my older sister left for the Air Force. So many life changing events happened in those last two years, we shared the same address; parents divorced, we moved, mother bought a business and seemed to spend all of her time away. My father was rarely around, except for the stirred up memories, when disagreements surfaced. It all seems so vague now, but my brother left shortly after my sister did, and my role changed from being the middle child of two parent household to being the oldest child of single parent household.

Life and its wonderful circumstances!

My life certainly changed instantly; the focus to that of being responsible, being the "good girl", and helping care for my two younger sisters. I knew I had older siblings, but they weren't around. My sister and I seemed to have grown up in entirely different worlds. I never thought we shared similarities, as nothing about our lives seemed similar. Through out the years, we would touch base, re-connect and then disconnect. It was a cycle, a pattern, sometimes lasting for months; then sadly, for years.

We have recently re-connected and it has amazed us both how similar our thoughts, fears and personalities are; then again, so different. We have spent many hours on the phone, discussing what seems to be the direction in which our lives are heading; whether personal, and professional or emotional, we have a deep understanding which is fueled by compassion.

I received a card in the mail from her today and it touched my heart. It quotes Emerson and reads; "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us". I must admit that no truer words have been spoken. Inside of this card she writes; "It is in the now-the moment-that we are able to see who we are, and the potential that we have to offer those in our world. It is then that we are able to heal from that pain and to cease fretting about tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your life with me".

I don't know why it took the majority of our lives, to get to this point, but I so thankful for it. I know that our experiences have paved the way, and our uncanny way of looking at life, has keep us sane. I can't wait to see what the future unfolds.

I almost forgot to mention what a real great sense of humor she has. I also received from her a wooden sign that reads; "Things haven't been the same since that house fell on my sister"!

Yeah, sisters; I had almost forgotten why we stopped communicating. Thanks for the reminder!