The Ordinary Moments 2016 #23 – Sisters

I have 3 Sisters and so grew up in house full of girls. I am the second oldest and our relationships were very much love/hate… one minute the best of friends and plotting, gossiping (usually about boys) and sharing our stuff, having sleepovers, keeping look out for one thing or another, and the next it was physically fighting, ganging up on one and wo be to them if they go anywhere near our stuff! There was often an obvious division for a lot of our childhood/teen years; Myself and my older sister and then “the younger ones”, as kids we had secret clubs and long summer evenings on our bikes and making potions. As teens we had cinema trips together, snook out to the odd club (sorry mum), box set weekends, dances at church and even got Saturday jobs at the same place. These things and many more meant that we had a lot of fun despite the battles or disagreements and were always the 1st to defend the other from outside attacks no matter how our relationship was. Friends would agree that with 4 girls under one roof, our home was the mad house!

We laugh so much now about what we got up to together, how we drove my mum mad and how many secrets we shared. Each one of us brings something unique to the family and I love that we always have banter and laughs when we are together now as adults, and of course still the occasional “fight” too.. this is just our ordinary but moments I appreciate!

The word “Sister” and its relationship has been on my mind a lot recently. We don’t always appreciate our families or see eye to eye, and at times they can upset us, but as I get older I am certainly grateful that I have sisters and people to grow up with. In addition to these 3 crazy sisters, I also have 6 sister in laws whom I see frequently and also have lots of fun and jokes with. We are all great friends too and often have heart to hearts, outings, chill out sessions and just generally share family fun, tears and support when needed…and I am so very grateful for each of them too.  Everyday I try to be a good wife, mother, friend, daughter and whatever other role I take on, and recently as I think about sisters, I have found myself saying to Mr Smith “how can I be a good sister to…”. To me it is so important to maintain relationships and a close bond and friendship with each of them, for my kids to know their aunts and for me to be able to help them and do what I can to support them when they are having a hard time, I feel this is my duty and roll as their sibling. Each one of us at different seasons have faced tough times, families do don’t they? And I have always been grateful that no matter what we have been disagreeing on or how far we are geographically from one another, the sisters are there to help. They were all my bridesmaids, they all have visited when we have had a new baby, wrote letters and emails when I lived in America, all there to hang out with, and there the morning we had Poppy. My older sister has spent hours on the phone with me when I have been grieving or ranting, and along with my younger sisters been willing to watch the kids to help us out. My youngest before having kids helped me decorate our newly purchased home, and we work together when needed to surprise our parents on special occasions! I am grateful for what each one brings, though at times they wind me up! I love we have the same sense of humour, memories to reflect on and care for others when we hit hard times. I love that for the 1st time in ages we were actually all able to get together yesterday for Megans Birthday and that was nice that as mothers we could see all of our kids play together, we could chat and laugh with each other and wind up mum like old times! Sisters are great…

I also think my thoughts on sisters has a lot to do with the amount of times Ethan and Megan are asked about their level of excitement for a “new baby sister”!! I always want to jump in with “another baby sister”, but know its not intentional, yet I can’t help that my thoughts turn to the sister they had but never knew and how loosing a sister affected their lives; how they missed out on that relationship and making memories with her, and how they will take to another baby sister this time round. I ponder so much about this new babies arrival, and how she will be in our family, yet can never determine how their relationships will be as siblings or how it will change and be with another sibling in the mix and then specifically towards her. Its exciting and strange all at the same time. I hope they will be friends for life, I hope they will remember the sister that isn’t here and I hope they will try to keep a good bond throughout life. I hope they will be there to celebrate like we are for each other and that they will be able to support and help when life deals one of them a bad hand. I hope they appreciate what each brings to the family, and try hard no matter where their lives take them to keep in touch and get together regularly.

Yes having sisters (and brothers too) is great. At times frustrating, totally annoying and you question if you are even related, but it is a friend for life, someone who knows you and supports you when you need it the most, and someone you can make and share memories with throughout life. I am grateful for my sisters, my sisterly relationships with my 6 wonderful sister in laws, and to be the mother of kids who have sister relationships! I hope we are all never far from one another and can have our ordinary moments of fun and laughter, and rescuing when life causes us to sink! You certainly can’t choose your family but you can choose to love, to care and be there through thick and thin.. to me that’s an ordinary and very big part of life!