The Sister Act

I don't have any sisters, and only one brother. He's great, but he's not female, and my entire life, I have always wished (in secret, and sometimes not-so-secret) that God had given me a sister as well. I've always felt a teensy bit envious of my friends who have sisters, someone to share/laugh/fight with in a way that I never could with a brother. After all, a brother is one of "them."

The entire time I was pregnant with my first child, I thought I was having a boy. Fast forward to the delivery room, April 2001, and I had a little girl! I was so happy that my secret wish to have a girl was fufilled so neatly and nicely, that I was even content with the idea of not having any more children, at least for a while! But we decided to have another one-- just one more!-- and this time, although I was more open to the thought of having a boy, deep down I wanted yet another girl! My older daughter could have the sister that I never had and always wanted. And in May 2004 my wish was granted once again!

Last month, a cover article in Time Magazine was about 'Siblings' and the huge importance brothers and sisters have on who were are. As someone with a social science background, I found the article fascinating, especially since it quoted one of my favorite professors from my grad school days at UT! It also made me realize how blessed I am to have grown up with a sibling, albeit a brother (ha ha ha), and how truly blessed I am to have two little girls who are sisters to one another. Now I get to experience the 'sisterhood' that I never had as a child. Moreover, I actively encourage them to be each other's best friend, in a way that my own parents did not with my brother and me. Simply growing up in the same household doesn't ensure that siblings will grow close, so I knew from the moment I learned I was having a second daughter that I would want them from the beginning to always be there for each other.

showered, scrubbed, sweet-smelling, smiling sisters

Hooray for the Red, White & Blue! Carys & Thalia decorated our front walk with tiny flags on July 4th

I don't think I need to worry about it too much, however. Carys adores her big sister with an intensity that both amuses and shocks me. I think Carys actually thinks that she and Thalia are the same person! And Thalia is exactly what a big sister should be-- protective, loving, and after me and Dylan, Carys' most important teacher about the world around her. I just love to watch them interact with each other, sometimes a tiny bit jealous of their 'sister-ness'. I am filled with pride and joy and even relief that they are so loving towards each other. My Mom used to say all the time that my brother and I should love and appreciate each other because someday, all we'd have would be each other. That's not entirely true of course, since we go out into the world and marry and have families of our own, but your sibling is your special bond to your very beginnings. And somehow, the bond between sisters seem even more special. Dylan is an "only child", and I have noticed first-hand that the saddest thing of all when you're an only child is NOT the growing-up-without-siblings part, but being an adult in the world without siblings. Lucky me and my brother, and lucky Thalia and Carys to have the privilege of sharing our childhood with someone else who will be with us throughout our journey through life.