44 Years Together and Still Loving

It is indeed an amazing miracle
To have a sister manifest in one’s life
Especially when we did not grow up together
Marriage to her brother, brought my sister into my life

Now we are in our 44th year of living together
Raising our children in the same house
Learning how to interact lovingly together
Becoming familiar with each other’s likes and concerns

We came with very different personalities
She being the introvert and I being the extrovert
We have learned to traverse our differences
To look for the shared goodness and values

We share a joyful love for flowers
Making and eating gingerbread with lemon sauce
Negotiating extended days for family gatherings
And unexpected tears to acts of kindness

We might have never found each other casually
Though we have become trusted family over the years
While living life together in community
She does not seem 80 and yet that is where we are

She is thoughtful, creative, reflective, determined, kind
What an amazing life we have lived together
I like to think we have learned from each other
Most importantly, we learned to work things out

She loves and cares about our family as I do theirs
All together we are family having lived and loved together
Talking, relying, negotiating, appreciating and feeling blessed
Though truly I never thought I’d have a sister and yet, here she is