I remember this day. Maybe not quite like it was yesterday, but I remember it. I remember the cabin we stayed in on that trip, it belonged to a friend of a friend, who graciously offered it to our family for a road trip to Colorado in the summer. I remember sitting inside, at the log table eating, what felt like millions of grapes, until my stomach felt like it might explode.
Aren’t we a motley looking crew of sisters?
With an 11 year span from oldest to youngest, we were in completely different life phases in this photo. (But at least our fashion game was on point!) Back then, I was a self-focused 12-year-old. One look at this picture now, as an adult, I have so much understanding and empathy for what each of those girls must have been going through. It brings back so many memories. It reminds me that growing up, and figuring out who you are, is just hard.
These girls, and the women they have become, have shaped me.
Of course, my parents, grandparents, and teachers taught me, but these are the girls I practiced doing everyday life with, long before I ever understood how significant that would be. There’s no doubt I’ve spent more cumulative time with these three women than anyone else in my life to date. All the bus rides, road trips, choir practices, family meals, birthday parties, room-sharing, friend-sharing. . . day in and day out. All of it.
Unconditional love was the expectation.
They might have been required to give it, or least pretend to, back then. But they aren’t anymore. And yet, they still do. These days, it’s harder to distinguish the oldest from the youngest. Our fashion, though certainly still uniquely ours, is probably much more uniform. Through all the years, they’ve taught me what it looks like to be a steadfast friend. Because we’re family.
Nothing gets in the way of family.
In our family, people matter more than anything else.
Whether you have siblings by birth or siblings by choice, make this National Sibling Day a day for gratitude. Thank the ones who taught you what it looks like to be friend. The ones you got to practice doing life with. No matter where you grew up, that’s what siblings do.
With a heart full of gratitude to Michelle, Kim, Heather and all my sisters along the way, I celebrate you today.
Happy Sibling Day!
to more love,
Crystal
