Sisters
In the nearly five decades I've known my sister, she still surprises me. I know her well, but our adulthood has given us reasons to grow apart at times and we've changed and molded into who we are without either of us necessarily noticing.
In Paul Simon's song, "The Boxer," there is a great verse:
Now the years are rolling by me; they are rocking easily
I am older than I once was; younger than I be
But that's not unusual
Lord, ain't it strange; after changes upon changes
We are more or less the same
After changes, we are more or less the same
I've always loved this verse and felt the truth of it. But today, I am not so sure. I spent yesterday with my sister and after the closing paragraphs, spent quietly talking in her car at our appointed rendezvous spot in a parking lot, I found her anew. Some ten miles from where we were raised, suffered abuse together, slept in the same bed for seven years, laughed and cried together, saved each other innumerable times, and got out from under the suffocating pain, I believe we have changed.
We are stronger, we are resilient, we are fiercely independent, we are possessive of our own truths, we are lionesses of our own prides, we are looking for the good in life, we are setting a strong example for our daughters and sons, we know our worth, and most importantly, we are very consciously choosing how to define our lives.
These changes and refinements of our personalities have come at great internal cost and reward. Being sisters has made one thing very certain though - we will always know how to find each other again and again; and always, safety is ours, no matter how we change.
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