The Sisterly Bond

For the longest time now, I have had the pleasure of having a sister. It has been the best thing I’ve ever had. There are times that I can’t stand her, but the special times that I’ve had with her far outweigh the times that she bugs me. I have learned to appreciate everything she does.

There was one day, a few years ago, where my sister and I had a disagreement and we both started fighting. It was the worst moment I’ve ever had with my sister. In that moment, I held her in contempt. I was selfish and didn’t want anything to do with her. About a half hour later, I hear a knock on my door. I open it and there’s my sister, just standing there. Before I could shut the door in her face, she looked at me, handed me a handwritten note, and then left without a word. I thought that it was a little weird and I didn’t want to even open the note. But I did, and it said something like this:

            “Dear Paije,

I’m sorry that I got angry with you earlier today. I hate it when we fight. But, sisters fight sometimes. I want you to know that I love you. Thanks for being a good sister.”

That hit me straight to the core. I was amazed at my sister’s ability to forgive so easily and quickly. In that moment, she taught me so much. She was more mature than I was. I realized that I needed to forgive and love my sister more.

I only have one sister, which makes for many special moments. I have had many opportunities to build and strengthen my relationship. My sister and I are best friends. It has been a lifelong process and we grow to love each other more and more each day.

It wasn’t always this strong though. A few years ago, I wasn’t mature or smart enough to know what a great sister I had. I had a revelation. I knew I needed to improve my relationship with her. But I didn’t quite know how. I contemplated it and found my weakness and problem. I found that I needed to be more selfless and care about her more. If she was going to mean a lot to me, I had to sacrifice a bit of my time to be able to really value hers. I started looking for things to do for her that would make her happy, even if those things seemed small and insignificant. I had to think about her, not me.

As I began being more and more thoughtful about her and her needs, I became aware of her actions towards me and of my thoughts concerning her. She was more attentive and kind to me and I thought more about what would make her happy and what she might need.

This not only applies to sisters, but to all siblings and others not related as well. I have found that once selfish interests are forgotten, the welfare and happiness of others begins to come easily to the forefront and replaces the desire to do things only for oneself.

I am thankful for my sister and my family. That gratitude continues to grow daily. I know that once the effort to improve relationships is made, it isn’t wasted.