Sisters

I really like my sister.  

She is an uncommonly kind person.

And funny.  Don't forget funny.

It is fun to make her laugh.

I wasn't supposed to make her laugh because she is recovering from surgery.

Surgery is no laughing matter.

I really tried not to make her laugh.

But I failed a few times.

Sorry about that.

She told me not to clean the house before she came.

And though I intended to, I did not clean my house before she came.

In fact, I didn't even shower that day.

And I didn't even feel bad about it.

That's the kind of person she is.

She loves me even if my house is dusty.

And my armpits are smelly.

We had fun hanging out and talking.

And reminiscing about our childhoods.

She shredded chicken while I made a salad.

She is a wonderful mother.

She worries that she is not a good parent.

I think that's probably one of the signs of a good parent.

We talked about all the silly mistakes we made on our firstborns.

It's really hard not to make silly mistakes on your firstborn.

We stayed up way too late one night.

That's one of my favorite things to do.

We talked about everything in the whole wide world.

We took our kids to the pool and then took turns making sure they didn't drown.

We went to a county fair and got drenched in the rain.

She felt funny about having her daughter on a kid leash.

Because she is not one of those people who puts a leash on their child.

It's okay, I told her; I've used a leash before.

Don't we always end up doing the things we swore we'd never do as parents?

Besides, who cares what people think?

I mean, whoever said at 21 years old, "My dream is to drive a minivan!"

Nobody, that's who.

We ate donuts.

We watched movies.

We did dishes.

She still takes a long time to get ready.

It made me remember our teenage years.

She always sat cross-legged in front of her long mirror to get ready.

She used Clinique makeup.

And a knitting needle to poof up her bangs.

I always wanted to look like her.

It's OK that she takes a long time; I don't mind.

She made Rachel Ray's french toast one morning while I was working.

It was delicious.

A week went by so fast.

Max was grumpy the day they left; he didn't want to say goodbye.

He'd had a cousin all to himself for days and days.

I knew how he felt.

Oh yes.  It's nice to have a sister.