SISTERHOOD

God did not bless me with a sibling called a 'sister'. My mother had three of them and two half-sisters, as well. I watched Mom and my aunts' relationships and always thought of them as best friends. It made the fact that I didn't have a sister even more vivid to me.


I always thought how wonderful it would be to have another girl in the house that I could share secrets with, borrow clothing from and do things with. I was quite close to one of my brothers and grateful for both of them, but they weren't sisters!

Over the years I've been fortunate to have some very good friends. Through our growing up we shared the experiences of sleep-overs, dating, shopping sprees, and all the wonders of being a teenaged girl. Later, we shared marriage plans, weddings, childbirth, child rearing, failing marriages, deaths of loved ones, moves across the miles. We've shared phone calls, prayers, encouragement. We've even, on occasion, shared disagreements and short separation. These friends have been like sisters, and the closest thing I've ever had to one.

As I look back at my Mom's relationship with her sisters and compare those with the times I've shared with my female companions, I've come to wonder, are my relationships any different? Is it blood which makes women 'sisters'? Or, could it be something more? Perhaps it is the tying of heart strings rather than sanguinity. I believe that might be so.