Nothing Better than Sibs

It had been a rough week for her, and life was changing too rapidly. She came back from Mexico, turned 17, began her senior year, and her brother moved to Tennessee for a year. Tyler was her closest confidant and understood her so well. Glenna was right next door, but it would take more explaining and background than she had the energy to give at the moment.

For the past couple of days she had been fighting tears. She wanted to call Ty, but she didn't want to impose on his already overwhelming experiences of a new school, new roommates, and new environment. To top it off, her Grandfather had just passed away and her mother had gone to New Mexico.

She sat in the quiet, darkened house and idly looked for entertainment or conversations on the internet. It was 1 a.m. and there's not a lot of action at that hour. Suddenly, she heard a familiar car pull up in the driveway. Within seconds, a door slammed and a key was inserted into the lock.

Oh, she thought. Tyler's home.

She watched as her brother opened the door and entered the house. He was halfway across the living room before it actually hit her.

OH! she realized. TYLER'S HOME!

His arms opened and she was sobbing long before she fell into them.

********************************

I wasn't here to witness that scene, of course, because I was in New Mexico, but Kelly told me about it later. Tyler had planned to come home as a surprise, but he let me in on the secret before I left. Though I would miss seeing him, I knew God was sending a special gift to Kelly that weekend. For a few days her world would stop spinning long enough for her to get her balance!

The relationship my children have with each other is one of my greatest treasures. I've worked so hard to make sure they understood the value of their siblings from the beginning, so they wouldn't miss out on this great treasure as my brothers and I had done. We had so much fun together as young adults and missed so much with our petty fighting and arguments! We wasted time hating and arguing when we could have had the full benefits of love and support. What a team we would have made had we stuck together, encouraged, and cherished each other.

We get along so well now. I know my brothers will always be there if I need them, and hopefully they know they can count on me, too. Even so, I think this is what made me so purposeful with my children's relationships.

I hear Kelly chatting on the phone with her brother and my heart sings.

I see my girls head out the door for a "Sister Day" of slurpees and shopping and I want to do back flips.

I watch Tyler go to extreme lengths to download music on Glenna's iPod and I want to grab and squeeze them both. He sees how much Glenna is into music right now and made a point of showing interest and encouraging her. Oh, Glenna, my baby-sister heart was right with you that day!

This is not the good stuff.

This is the great stuff.