Sisters, Friends

Rebecca and Miriam are only two years apart in age. When they were little, it was difficult having two little ones needing so much attention all the time. When Miriam hit about 18 months, things started to change. They would play together! Miriam would chase Rebecca around the house. They played with their baby dolls. They started to become friends. Of course, there was always the inevitable argument. They tried out calling each other names. They would take toys away from each other and even occasionally hit each other. They were normal young children.

Now they are 5 and 7 years old. They still fight at times. Name calling has not gone away. There are times when I think they should spend the whole day in separate rooms! But that is the exception. Normally, they play together. They share secrets and do silly things together. They are friends.

This really became apparent to me this week. One evening before bed, Rebecca was writing this note. It says, "Dear Miriam, I'm sorry you weren't picked in the raffle. You can use my movie ticket. Rebecca." At the Sweetgrass neighborhood celebration, when the kids won a game, they put their name in for a drawing. Rebecca won two movie tickets, and Miriam didn't win a prize. To my knowledge, Miriam never said anything about feeling bad about not winning. But Rebecca thought of her.

Then last night, I got an email from a friend inviting Rebecca to go to the zoo with them today. I knew Rebecca would be thrilled, so I told her. Of course, Rebecca was excited to go. But it didn't take very long for her to ask me what Miriam liked to do. I thought of a few things, not knowing where the conversation was going. Then I found out she wanted to make something for her sister to enjoy while she was gone. First, she tried covering her pony in paper so Miriam could color it. Then she wanted to record herself reading a story. Finally, she made her a paper airplane.

I am so grateful that my girls not only love each other, but they like each other. They are friends. They think of each other's feelings. I know they will go through ups and downs. It is a normal part of life. I'm sure they will get sick of each other getting into their things and talking to their friends. But I hope they always remember the love they have for each other right now. I hope they know that friends come and go, but sisters are forever.