Ya Ya Sisters

"Stop fighting and bickering.  One day you will realize how thankful you are for one another."  ~ Our Mom, Mother of 4 Girls

I could not wait for this weekend to happen.  All my sisters would be in town and most important of all, we'd all be together for one evening - Sarah, Susan, Jan Jan and Barb.  Taking advantage of the early afternoon, I headed to Susan's house on the train, leaving my husband at home to feed and walk the dogs before he came over later.  Susan and Barb picked me up at the train station and our eyes filled with tears of longing when we hugged.  On the ride to Susan's house as we chatted, I became fully aware that Barb was now comfortable in her new role as a mother.  As I gave them a pile of books I'd recently read, we laughed about how they all related to mother, daughter and sister relationships, something that we all know a lot about.  Upon arrival to Susan's, I was greeted by Hope, fully dressed in her Ms. Santa dress and a hip Hannah Montana hat.  She immediately brought in a basket full of princess crowns of all shapes and sizes.  She asked us each to pick one and wear it, unspokenly making us all sisters.  With our crowns securely fastenened on our heads, we figured it was happy hour and therefore uncorked a bottle of wine.  After a cheers, we began preparations for dinner.   Soon after, Janet arrived.  She'd had my same idea - leave her husband at home with one of the kids so she could fully engage in sister time.  We poured her a glass of wine and got her a princess crown.  There was a comfort with us all being together, just us, with the kids all busy watching movies. 

As we chatted away, the rest of the family began showing up.  First Daryl came down the stairs with Finleigh, the newest baby girl in the family and the one we all couldn't wait to see, hold and coo over.  Then Roger woke up from a nap along with Riley and they trudged downstairs to say hello.  Then Phil arrived with little Kevin and a laundry basket full of dessert for later.  Not long after, Warren entered through the front door - to the delight of all the neices and nephews.  Soon the house was swarming with aunts and uncles and kids and the smell of food cooking made it feel just like home.  With all the commotion, us sisters still had an invisble bubble around us, allowing us to catch up and talk about our lives, including roping in all our husbands to do a photo shoot of us, with all of our cameras. 

There is something about having sisters that is an incredible gift.  My sisters are my best friends.   No matter where we are in life or where life takes us, we always have eachother.  We are sometimes strewn miles apart in our locations, differences and habits, but our hearts are melded together in a bond that cannot be broken.  A bond that does not judge and a bond that only gets stronger with time.  Of course as young girls, we fought, yelled and slammed doors in one anothers faces.  We stole clothes from the others closets and tattled when appropriate and to our advantage.  But as we grew up into young women, then wives, then mothers, we restored our sisterhood when we found we could balance life a little easier when we could revert to our familiar and comfortable role as sisters.  There is nothing in the world like having sisters.  And there is nothing in the world that I wouldn't do for any of one of them.  So when special weekends like these come around, I slip back into my sister role and get ready to have my soul renewed again.