Introduction
Your sister. Conjure up almost any childhood memory and she appears. Wiggling beside you in posed family photographs. Inching a finger over the invisible dividing line of the backseat. Meeting your eyes with a look of shared understanding across the dinner table. Who else will always remember the holidays and the graduations, the way Dad laughed, the stuff Mom kept on her dresser?
As close as you may have been, growing up together wasn't always easy. Sometimes it seemed there was no space or time or attention that wasn't somehow also hers. Whether by choice or under protest, you shared, split, and divided everything until it became so ingrained that, to this day, you still find yourself doing something like flipping the pickle that comes with you sandwich onto her plate because, well, you always have.
And there is the miracle of sister hood. Without knowing it, in fact sometimes without even liking it, the two of you formed a powerful, unbreakable bond created from thousands of tiny, seemingly forgettable moments.
Today, you can see it- that your ideas about loyalty, fairness, and co-operation have been formed by each other. You've been one another's teacher, mirror, and friend. And deep down, you understand what only sisiters can know: That you belong to each other in a way that you can never belong to anyone else. That a love that grows through the stages and phases is stronger for having been tested. That sticking together works for almost anything life can throw at you. That you'll keep moving forward, shoulder to shoulder, through every phase of life. And that makes all the difference...
The History
No matter who you've become, your sister knows where you began, how it all started. She may be the only person who has the abilility to recount every good, great, or stupid thing you've ever done. She understands the girl inside the grown-up woman you are today and that is no small thing.
A hiding place, however creative, is only as good as the company.
If you're going to break a house rule, it's best to do it together.
Getting gum out of your sister's hair is pretty much impossible without coming clean to Mom.
With a little teamwork, you can get Dad to believe that taking you out for treats was actually his idea.
Matching dresses are great unless you're the one getting the hand-me-downs.
Beware of sisters who have joined forces against a common enemy.
Once the imitations of Mom and Dad start, there's no going back to serious business.
No matter what the scheme, you can always count her in.
It never hurts to have a fellow eye-roller when Mom starts talking about "unladylike behaviour."
The definition of cooperation: Cramming a mountain of hair care products, a ton of makeup, a hairdryer, a set of hot rollers, a radio, and a couple of sisters into a small bathroom with a single outlet and one mirror.
Going through life with the "family thighs" is alot easier when there's somebody else out there with two more just like them.
Not even an elephant has a memory like a sister who was once tricked into eating a bug.
Getting to complain about your parents guilt-free is one of the surprising benefits of sisterhood.
Your sister will do anything for you, as proven by the bridesmaid dress she wore at your wedding.
You're not just sisters. You're two people bound by the fact that you know far too many embarrassing stories about each other. :)
The Mystery
You got in her stuff. She got in your face. You shut her finger in the door (okay, accidentally). She kicked you off the couch. But now when you're together, you sometimes laugh so much you feel certain Mom is going to show up and tell you to keep it down. How it can be, nobody knows, but sisters all over the world understand that it is absolutely possible to love somebody who used to drive you nuts-and maybe sometimes still does.
Amazing Things Sisters Can Do:
1. Arrange thier faces into perfect expressions of innocence when asked about a scrape on the fender.
2. Hem a skirt with tape, a stapler, and/or a stud earing.
3. Complete an hour's worth of chores in under three minutes when their favorite TV show is about to start.
Being forced to make up after a fight is good practice for life.
Some days it's no surprise that sister rhymes with arm twister.
Whoever said "A sister is a sheltering tree" clearly never had to fight for her share of the umbrella.
You wouldn't think a person could be talked into trading the good stuff in her Halloween haul for a bunch of candy corn, but there's a sister for you.
FACT: If you read your sister's diary, she will tell a boy your bra size.
Your sister will always cover for you....for a price!
If you return her sweater before she discovers it's missing, it doesn't count as borrowing.
Things your sister will always remind you about:
The outlet mall is no match for sisters on a mission to shop.
Forget, "How are you doing?" The real question is "Who weighs more?"
If you live nearby, you and your sister can have one punch bowl and one evening bag between you.
The Friendship
Finally, you got your long-awaited privacy, your own grown-up life, and you wind up calling her all the time, just to see what she is doing.
You wouldn't have guessed it years ago while you were yelling at her through the bathroom door, but there's so much comfort, such relief in having someone in your life who has always known you, who gets your jokes, accepts your eccentricities, and shares your deeply held belief that the only acceptable stuffing is the kind made from Gramdma's recipe. That's why a sister is a friend like no other. That's why you wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.
With a sister, no background information is ever required when you're telling a story. How great is that?
You can talk her into going with you to that movie, concert, or craft show nobody else is interested in.
The time you ate all the dough before you could make the cookies? That stays betweent the two of you!
You can drink from the same glass using the old "same family, same germs" excuse.
With a sister, you can ask which fork to use at a fancy dinner without being embarrassed.
Who else has humored you throughout your rebellious phase, your intellectual phase, and that one weird health food phase?
Being the younger sister is no fun....until midlife.
Then it's a fun fact to bring up constantly in front of strangers.
Nothing says "sisters" like two women standing at the ktichen counter picking at the leftovers.
Your sister will still sometimes let you boss her around when she's feeling generous.
If you don't feel like talking, your sister doesn't automatically assume you're mad at her.
She's like a therapist. A therapist who will give you a sweater, half her dessert, or ride a to the airport.
You are never, ever required too fake a laugh when you're with your sister.
Off come the shoes.
Out come the contents of the fridge.
On and on goes the talk well into the night.
And on and on go our lives, ever entwined, like the grass, tree and vine.....all dependent upon one another to survive, providing strength and warmth and a gentle touch when needed, without a word said. My sisters are the best......I love them dearly........Thanks guys for being such solid foundations upon which I could lean when times got rough, or times were just so damn fun!
