Sisterhood. What a complex state of love and irritation those words hold in my household this summer! I have been sneaking around trying to capture THAT moment lately – the one full of tenderness and affection. A quiet moment of friendship and relaxed conversation that accompanies the ease of simply being with one’s sister. And yes I have caught a few moments on camera to share throughout this post. I love each one of these moments, because I see my girls growing in their fondness for one another, even in the midst of irritating differences.
Lately though their differences have been noticed at the many places we’ve gone this summer. When I say differences, I guess I mean just difference – one – the difference in their skin color. And it has been in these moments when asked if they are friends, or asked where one’s mother is, or assumed my oldest daughter is the child of another mother in the room, or the shock of being almost given to a complete stranger who was Asian at a festival; it is in these moments that my girls show each other tenderness. The kind of tenderness shown by gathering close together, fingers locked, head on chest, arms encircled – the you cannot separate us from one another – that kind of tenderness is what I’m simply in love with this summer. This kind of physical display shouts sisterhood and trumps any boundaries that strangers may insist upon.
I know they notice the responses they get from people who don’t know our family – they are both old enough to know what’s happening. Later when we talk about situations like those above, I say yes, Blended families like ours are different. But while we may look different to others, the bond of sisterhood is the same.