With the title of today’s blog, you’d think that I’d be talking about sister-siblings. Well, unfortunately, I don’t have sister-siblings. I have two older brothers, and I’m the youngest of the trio. But as a young girl I always wanted a sister, and even though I grew up without one, I’m very fortunate to have very close girlfriends who are my sisters in so many ways.
Recently, someone sent me an email, and normally I’m not one to pass them on or repost them anywhere. But this one struck such a chord with me I wanted to share it here. It’s a reminder to cherish all the “sisters” in your life. Just as I cherish mine, which include Carly, Julie, and Leslie. :wub:
A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.
‘Don’t forget your sisters,’ she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. ‘They’ll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.’
‘Remember that ’sisters’ means ALL the women… your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives, too. ‘You’ll need other women. Women always do.’
What a funny piece of advice!’ the young woman thought. Haven’t I just gotten married? Haven’t I just joined the couple-world? I’m now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!’
But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.
Over time, here’s what she learned:
Time passes much too quickly.
Life happens, sometimes in ways you don’t anticipate or expect.
Distance separates.
Children grow up and leave the nest.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don’t do what they’re supposed to do.
Hearts break. Sometimes more than once.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.
BUT………
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you
have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley’s rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley’s end.
Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you…Or come in and carry you out. The world wouldn’t be the same without “sisters”, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still.
Today, be sure to take the time to embrace all the sisters in your life. To let them know how much they mean to you, and how your life wouldn’t be the same without them in it. Carly, Julie, and Leslie — you three are the best sisters a girl could ever ask for! :hug2:
How about you? What do the “sisters” in your life mean to you?
Janelle Denison finds it hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since she first started writing romance novels. At first, it was a way to pass idle time while her husband worked swing shift, but before long it became an obsession to get published. Luckily, she kept at it (it took her over 5 years to get that first book published!) and is now a Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and USA Today Bestselling author! Now, after selling over 40 plus novels, she finds that her Plotmonkey pals help to keep her stories fresh and unique, and she can’t imagine writing a story without their input. Janelle lives in Oregon with her husband, Don, along with two teenage daughters that keep life interesting.
3 Seductions and a Wedding
Hot Number
Play With Me
Wild For Him
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Relationships come and go, but sisters are forever. Whether you want them to be or not, they are always in your life, giving advice, making you laugh, or just lending a shoulder for you to cry on. sometimes they give great advice, sometimes it’s questionable, but they give it and that’s all that matters. sisters redefine the way we communicate – there is nothing quite like sister shorthand to boggle the minds of onlookers, or husbands. Seasons change, but the love of sisters remains the same.
Oh, yeah, I have a few.
Love my sisters!
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I have seen this one before, and it’s a wonderful reminder to myself about the important “sisters” in my life. I don’t have many by blood, but there are a few friends who mean the world to me, and even when time and distance keep us apart, I know I could always turn to them if I ever had the need.
There are also those online sisters, you know, the ones that romance as much as I do and who have been such a joy in my life because of it as my real life friends just don’t “get it”. So here’s a big hug to all the Plotmonkeys and FoP (friends of Plotmonkeys) who make everyday such a treat :)
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This is beautiful and I too have seen it before. Will be passing this on.
It is an important reminder to do things with ALL the loved one in your life. Like the article said, there are all kinds of sisters, not just the biological or “sisters” we can see and actually do things with but our online sisters too like Stacy mentioned. I have met a lot of wonderful women thru all the blogs and booksites and they are truly good cyber friends and it would be wonderful to meet any of them.
We all need support at at times and just as important to give it.
Hope everyone has a great week – especially looking forward to a short one next week. LOL.
As always,
:monkee2:
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I have two actual sisters but the three that I am a better person knowing are my former co workers at Oasis Salon it started out Cheryl owned the salon I went to lease a station and was pregnant with my first daughter as time went by more stylist came Paula, Susanne and Cindy these women would do anything for you between my daughter and my son who are 5 years apart I had 2 miscarriages both were almost into my 2nd trimester they all took turns bring us dinner and they always added a little something for my daughter like cookies, pudding ect. Moving form Wa to Fl they are who I miss the most and talk to as much as I can. There are so many other things they have done but truly they made me a better person.
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I have one sister by birth, but many by choice. Besides all my on-line sisters, I have my Yaya’s. The 7 of us met the first day of college and have been together through everything with each other. They are the first people I call when I need something and we try to see each other as much as possible every month(life sometimes gets in the way).
Here is to all the sisters out there!
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I’ve seen this before and it always makes me kind of sad. As a girl I didn’t have many girlfriends. I always got along much, much better with boys. I was a tom-boy, driving dumptrucks and working with my dad’s construction company. And I never got into girly things, or the girly ways. And I couldn’t stand the jealous, catty ways of a lot of girls.
But as an adult, I do wish I had more girlfriends. My best friend lives in AZ and I see her every 5-6 years. I have about 3 close friends here, and they’ve been invaluable over the past year, but on a regular basis I just don’t see them enough.
But I do have a lot of friends that I’ve met online, some of them here in the jungle. And even though we’ve never laid eyes on each other, they get me more than most of my real live, flesh and blood friends.
I’m happy for everyone who does have those sisters – whether they be blood or choice – and celebrate those relationships with you!!!
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Hi Janelle,
Mine are the ones that pump me up when needed but also take me down a peg when needed. Support, honesty, love, & no matter what, there when you need them even if you think you don’t.
Thank you,
Susan B.
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Without my sisters I would go insane. We fuss and fight, argue and complain, but we also love and laugh and share all the good things in our life as well as the bad. They’re the best!!! :flower4you: :heart1: :flower4you:
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I don’t have any sisters (I have three older brothers, ironic because I have three boys). I do have a treasured sil, who I call a sister (she’s an only child). She’s awesome and very much like a sister. I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like (we live far away), but we always email!
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Janelle, Beautiful sentiments, & so true. I have a sister who is 4 l/2 years younger. Growing up, even though we were in different schools (due to age), I always felt she was my best friend. Unfortunately, she married a jerk who, amongst other things, took her from L.A. to PA (his home town), & worked on effectively separating her from her whole family. I tried to keep the relationship with her by phone, but, she didn’t reciprocate. While I don’t only blame the bil, I know he was part of it, as he always felt my sister’s family would separate her from him. Now, 20 years after our parents have passed away & she’s been married to him for almost 45 years, I feel she’s becoming the sister I used to know. When one’s parents are gone, your sister(s) are more valuable than ever.
Fortunately, 20 years ago, I met my best friend, who we both say is “the sister of our hearts” (& we both have RL sisters), & even though she lives in NYC & I live in L.A., we speak by phone every week, & always know when everything in life is he**, we have each other & can call at any time, even in the middle of the night. If something were to happen to me, she is 2nd to my son as the person who would be responsible for my mentally-retarded daughter. To me, no one could mean more to me than that, & she does. She’s been such a blessing, & I never forget it.
Patricia
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Like Jodie, I’ve read this before too and it makes me feel sad as well. I grew up in a nest of boys and had only one female cousin. I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, just one really close one. We started out in the sandbox together. I never had a sister, always wanted one, dreamed about having one. I envied people who had sisters. I have an adopted brother who did some horrible things to me growing up. But I won’t get into that.
I have met some “sisters” on-line that I cherish, some I’ve met here in the jungle and one in Australia. We’ve never actually met face to face but I’ve known her for years. We exchange e-mail at least twice a week. One of these days I’m going to pick up the phone and call her.
Sisterhood is indeed a precious thing.
Cher :heart1:
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Like others I have seen this email before. It is so true. We need our sisters, relatives or of the heart, we need them. I only had brothers & I was the oldest. My friendships formed over the years are invaluable. One of my closest friends I have known for over 40 years, we can call one another or see one another and it is as if we spoke or saw each other yesterday. We have seen each other through many of life’s up and downs, sadness and laughter, good and bad. She is the best, hopefully coming to see me soon. It has been over a year since we have seen each other but we talk on the phone a couple of times a month. She doesn’t have a computer! Darn!! I have other long time friends and a sister-in-law that I like a lot. Last year after my mother passed away I reconnected with a couple of my cousins & another “sister” that I hadn’t seen in a very long time. It was wonderful despite the fact that we were together for Mom’s service. We are still keeping in touch. Email is a truly wonderful thing. Then there are the “sisters” I’ve met online that love romance like I do. Most of them are such supportive people which is an unexpected blessing. Thanks to the Plotmonkeys for starting this blog where I have grown to feel like each of you are friends and to meet other readers that add laughter and sometimes tears to my daily life. It is a pleasure to help celebrate the joys and share in the sorrows that we each deal with. :heart1: :hug2: :flower4you:
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I love this Janelle!
I am blessed to have four magnificent sisters, all of whom I adore. But I’m also blessed to have the “other” kind of sisters, like the Plotmonkeys, without whom I just don’t think I could get through the day!
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I am lucky to have three sisters that I consider my best friends. We talk often, laugh, and cry together when needed, and I love them to pieces.
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In the beginning, there were five sisters- we lost Audry at age 33 to breast cancer. The four of us who were
left have remained close through the years and our daughters are also close. One call is all it takes if we
need anything! Then there are my sister-friends (Fran, Pam, Dee) from our school-volunteering days,
Barbara/Patsy/Lillian/Janet and more from high school, and all the choir sisters from church. They are all
always “there” when needed. I will cherish them always!
Pat Cochran
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Hmm! I have not seen this before and always feel a little sad when I see the sister signs at a card store. I have no birth sisters. Not looking for pity here as my life is quite full and I have 2 wonderful daughter in laws and a very good friend that lives to darn far away, But if anyone wants to be a volunteer plotmonkey sister I am all about it.LOL Janelle you are a treasure. I would have to be the very old sister. LOL
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I don’t have any blood sisters, but I do have three great friends and 2 of them are sisters and our nickname to each other is “Sister” and practically everyone in their family calls me “Sister” instead of Cheryl
Plus I have my “Plotmonkey” sisters and my other reading board “sisters”
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Wow. What a beautiful way to end the day! :wub: I’m SO grateful for Janelle, Julie and Leslie. Not a day passes when I’m not in contact with one of them and they are always in my thoughts. They are as important to me as my family.
for the reminder! :heart1: :heart1: :hug2:
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You all know I have all brothers. The thought of having a sister always filled me with horror. But then I wouldn’t have my own room! I’d have to share my toys, clothes, etc. No way! Now that I’m older, I’m blessed to have not only several fabulous sisters-in-law, I have the Plotmonkeys. And I have a very good sorority sister whom I’m still very close with (we’ve been friends since high school and our daughters are now BFFs.) So I’m not jealous of women who grew up with sisters…I got all of mine when I was old enough to appreciate them!