Growing up, my sister and I were probably not as close as we could've been. I can attribute it to a number of things- we always attended different schools - our age (grade) difference was just enough that we were in different places at different times. And okay fine- I was probably way too self absorbed as a youngster to think about what my sister was up to or needed. Of course that changed as we both grew up and entered adulthood. We still went down different paths in life- my sister married in her early 20's- I didn't get married until my early 30's. We never lived in the same city, either. But as women, we discovered we had a lot more in common that we ever had known growing up. We were both highly creative. We both enjoyed cooking. We both attempted to maintain a healthy lifestyle and alternated years when one would push the other to eat well or go for a run. (she was in far better running condition than me as of late). Motherhood had been very flattering for my sister. She was extremely laid back and made it look effortless. And the woman was a doctor, too- so I'm not sure how she did it all. I often looked at my sister and wished I could be more like her- easy going, relaxed, take life as it comes to you. I was far more uptight and was annoyed with myself about it, but what can you do?
The other weekend my sister came into town to see me. Prior to her arrival, we talked on the phone to plan her visit. She wanted to take me out to dinner for my birthday. I felt bad, she didn't have to do that. Of course my sister insisted. She was a hard worker, successful and incredibly generous. She told me to pick a place that I had been wanting to try and she would treat me. (She was my sister after all - she knew what I wanted!) So I gave in. I knew she wouldn't have offered had she not wanted to do it. We had a wonderful dinner. The food and drinks were delicious, but the company was the best part. We talked about how I was handling everything going on in my world. She was encouraging and supportive as expected. I asked her if she had been keeping up with my blog (I knew she probably hadn't- again, the woman is a doctor and very busy!) and she admitted she hadn't as of late, but vowed to check it out again. The rest of the weekend was really fun. It wasn't that often that we were able to spend time together- just the two of us- no kids or husband around. It was really nice. A couple days after the weekend, I received a note from my sister:
Loving your blog- hope it is really helping to heal your heart.
Know this too... Even on your dark days, you are still an inspiration to me. You've always had such poise and confidence, and even now, you seem to handle each day with grace. You persevere. And you will continue to.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... Right?
So proud that you are my sister.
Thanks for helping me. You convinced me to do the run- (you can always convince me to do or not do things)...but I might otherwise have skipped it. Keep convincing yourself to go on too.
I teared up as I read it. To think I was an inspiration to anyone right now, let alone my sister was beyond flattering. It was just what I needed to hear at that particular moment. I would keep going on.
No comments:
Post a Comment