Growing up I always wanted a sister. I have two brothers whom I dearly love and, now that we are all adults, we are great friends. Growing up with them was great training for raising my three sons, but I still would have liked to have had a sister.
When I got into high school, I finally got my first sister (in-love) when my big brother got married. She has been a wonderful part of my life now for over thirty years. We have had our rocky moments of finding our way through “in-law” land but I can’t imagine life without her. She is an inspiration and has blessed me through prayer and being a strong example of a Christian woman, wife, mom and grandma.
A few years later, I got three more sisters when I married my hubby. They have also become dear friends through the last thirty-plus years. The two oldest have children in the same age range as my sons, and we have been blessed to watch our children become so much more than cousins forming close friendships. We have helped with the weddings for each others’ children, celebrated good news, and cried together through crises in our lives. We are estranged from my hubby’s youngest sister but love her no less. She will always be “Aunt Lolly” to our boys and we pray that God will heal relationships so she can be “Grand Aunt Lolly” to our grandchildren!
My fifth sister-in-love is my younger brother’s wife. I wish we were able to spend more time together but cherish the moments that we are able to share. They live in Texas so our relationship has grown through visits, letters, phone calls, texts and Facebook. We are moms of boys and have shared much laughter, tears, and prayers as we have raised them from boys to men. I love her common sense and sense of humor.
I got three more sisters-in-love when my hubby’s brothers got married. (Yes, he is from a large family! He is the oldest of seven.) One brother married one of my childhood friends. The irony is that as children we used to pretend we were sisters, and now we truly get to be!
With another sis-in-love I share “only girl between two brothers” status, so we relate to so many common experiences growing up.
The “last” sister-in-love shares my love of natural food recipes and bread baking. God has given me a special bond with each of them.
I can’t imagine my life without these eight women. Growing up, I couldn’t have dreamed that God would give me such amazing sisters. They are all beautiful and talented. They are wives, moms, grandmas, pastors, teachers, homemakers, and more. I am so thankful for each one. We are so much more than “in-laws”, we are friends and sisters-of-the-heart.
I appreciate that God has placed in my life these women that understand and encourage my heart for home and family.
