“You know full well as I do the value of sisters’ affections:  There is nothing like it in this world.”

— Charlotte Bronte

When I look back on my trip to Florida, there are many things to remember; but what stands out in my memory is spending time with all my siblings at once.  I thoroughly enjoyed traveling with my brother and learning that we are good companions in spite of our very different personalities.  There is a quiet something that underlies what we have built on the surface that allows us to feel comfortable together as we pursue parallel interests in silence.  Even more striking was once again spending time with my two sisters.  After nearly two years, we found ourselves sliding right back into the relationships that span space and time.  There are few things we can count on in this world, but I know I can count on my sisters’ love.  I also can count on at least one moment when my youngest sister and I descend into uncontrolled silliness and carry on as though we still were ten and five years old.  And I can count on at least one instance when our different views of life will cause a rift between my middle sister and me — a rift that in the end is healed by the lifelong bond of sisterly love.  As the time approached for my trip, I allowed myself to realize how much I sometimes miss having my sisters close by.  I try not to dwell on such things and allow longing for another place or time to interrupt my busy days; but when a visit draws close, I get to indulge myself a little in the anticipation of bridging the gaps of time and distance.  The great thing about sisters, though, is that when I arrive at my destination, there isn’t any overwhelming emotion or sense of relief as we greet each other.  Instead there is a feeling of kicking back and putting on a comfy old pair of slippers and enjoying the sort of relating that says, “now, what were we saying two years ago?”

There is something unique in the bonds we share with our sisters — so unique among other relationships that we women spend our lives adopting sisters along the way.  We seem to attract others who relate in the same ways and at the same depths that we do.  We might share common interests or lead similar lifestyles.  We might seem to have nothing in common but still share the heart-to-heart relating that is the hallmark of being female.  I think of the way that growing up with two younger sisters taught me the basics of sisterhood and how I have used that early experience to widen my circle of sisters.

Truly, “There is nothing like it in the world.” My sisters come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are quite young, and some already have aged out of this life and gone beyond my world.  Some share my town and some live in places I’ve never seen.  Some have been a part of my daily activities, and some I never have met.  Still, at that heart-to-heart level, we are sisters.  We love, we laugh, cry; we encourage, we confide, we celebrate.  We are sisters.  We celebrate being who we are and knowing we are never alone.  Here’s to you, my sisters!  There is nothing else in the world quite like you.