The Importance of a Sister

A sister is someone who loves you from the heart. It's not fake or pretentious.

She is a joy that can not be taken away. Once she enters your life, she is there to stay.

A friend who helps you through difficult times. A partner who fills your life with laughs and smiles. The memories you create with your sister last for a lifetime.

A sister is a blessing who fills your heart with love.

She is a companion to whom you can express your feelings without judgement.

Having a sister is not just a trend, it is knowing you can always turn to her, your best friend.

God brought us together as sisters, so we can share all our hopes and dreams. To share our laughter and our tears. To hold each other up when we fall down. You will always have your sister's trust. Your sister, is the one who will always stand beside you when you have no one to turn to. A sister is someone that you turn to when you feel alone. When you want a friend you know your sister will always be there for you.

There are many stages within a sisters' bond. I myself being the oldest sister was the one that had to set a good example and be responsible. The strength that came with sisterhood and friendship for me did not happen until I got a bit older. Even though I'm the oldest of my sisters I still feel that age is just a number. When you are sisters you support each other regardless of who is the oldest or youngest.

I'm the only child between my mom and dad. When my dad remarried I was fortunate enough to be blessed with two younger sisters. Louise who is six years younger than me and Mikaela who is 10 years younger. My mom also remarried and gifted me with my youngest sister Sophia we are 12 years apart. My stepdad also had a daughter Michelle who is the same age as me so therefore I'm fortunate enough to have a stepsister as well.

My sisters are my best friends. Even though I'm the oldest I feel that we are more or less all the same age. I wanted to dedicate this blog post to them to let each and every one of my sisters know what a significant and big part of my life they all play.

Starting with Louise, at the time Louise was born I was 6 years old living in Sweden. At a young age me and Louise did not have a huge bond to what I recall. It was not until later in life that me and Louise created this amazing sister bond and a friendship that is unbreakable. We understand each other and we are very similar in many ways. To me Louise is an old soul and wise. She teaches me new things all the time. She is very spiritual and in tuned within her self. She has a huge heart and is very selfless. She is a strong woman, wife and mother of two amazing boys that I miss terribly when I don't see them. Louise has always been there for me at my toughest of times in my life. She's been my confidence and therapist at the same time. Whenever I've felt alone or just wanting to talk to say hi she's always been there for me. I hope you know Louise how much you mean to me and like the quote at the top of the page that states "even though we are miles apart we are always connected by heart". Moving on to my younger sister Mikaela. In Sweden at ten years old, little sister Mikaela came in to the world. Mikaela is and always will be the little sister to me. She has the sweetest soul. She is always very thoughtful and does the nicest gestures that mean so much to me. She has such a caring and loving heart. She is also very artistic. Mikaela will bring out happiness in you just as she has the most beautiful smile on her face. As I was young I felt the need to take care of Mikaela to be there for her as the big sister and to help her. Today Mikaela reminds me a lot of my youngest daughter Julia. They resemble each other in so many ways. I'm very blessed and thankful for you Mikaela. I love you with all my heart and I want you to know how very special you are and always will be to me.

Since I did not have the ability to grow up with my sister Sophia, therefore we were not able to create the same strong bond as to what I had with my other sisters at the time. I remember the day my mom called me from the hospital in LA. I was 12 living in Sweden when I got the news that I had another baby sister. I remember my mom would mail me over pictures of my baby sister Sophia, the cutest little baby girl ever with the prettiest curls you could ever imagine. My mom would dress her in the girliest pink outfits. Since Sophia growing up primarily as an only child, she was funny in that her personality to me came off as a bit spoiled with a capital "S" but looking back it was just funny and very sweet. Sophia to me did not have the easiest childhood. I can say myself and admit that I was not the best big sister to her. When I moved to the US I was a sophomore in high school so having said that I was a teenager trying to figure life out in the big city consumed with getting my driver's license, and hanging out with my step sister Michelle. Later on I went to college, moved back east, then came back to get married and focusing on my life and then at that time my husband and having children of my own. Sophia was also going through divorce from her dad and our mom at the age of a teenager which is already challenging and many times being left alone. In my later years of life when I had time to reflect it, it was very important to me and still is to rebuild my connection and relationship with Sophia. I love Sophia very deeply and I want to be there for her. She is very worldly traveled and most of her trips if not all have been on her own. How brave is that as a young woman she has leaped into this world of hers to find her self and her true purpose in life. I think, like Sophia as a child, when your parents divorce it is difficult to feel a sense of belonging so therefore it creates a constant search and longing to find your home where you feel you want to reside and to where you can call your true home. Both me and Sophia are also very spiritual we want to find the deeper meaning of our lives and we are on this journey together. I love taking long walks with Sophia and at this point in our lives we have come together to bond and make up for lost time that we did not have growing up. Thank you Sophia for accepting me as your sister even if I wasn't always there for you growing up.

Lastly but not least, my step sister Michelle and I. So many times we've written cards or letters to each other with "to my BFF and Sister." Michelle was definitely a blessing to have coming out to the US knowing no one except for my mom. Especially starting a tremendously large high school where Michelle took me under her wings showing me around. Also I have so many funny and crazy memories with Michelle growing up. We would get in trouble a lot, but that was all part of growing up. Michelle has always been someone I've turned to, to share my life challenges with all the parts of my life. She's been there listening to me and never made me feel alone. We also have daughters the same age. Which we did not even plan or know at the time when we were pregnant. Michelle will definitely be a friend for life and we actually do share the same age and like the saying goes "every blonde needs a brunette best friend." that is me and Michelle - Love you sis.

My life would never be the same without all of my wonderful and different sisters. Even though we may not be sisters by blood we are all sisters. Sisters are your best friends. We are the ones we can go to lunch with, share a glass of wine with, go shopping with, get our nails done with, talk on the phone for hours with, talk relationship problems with and most of all a friend for life and an unbreakable bond. I'm blessed with my most treasured gifts of all my two daughters, Emma and Julia, who are now sisters. I wish upon them the experience and life long journey of having each other as sisters and best friends as I have with each one of my sisters. I know my daughters love each other and I already know the amazing bond they have built together and I'm blessed to have two daughters and be able to give them the unique and special gift of sister hood.