Sisters: The greatest gift you can ever receive

These days it seems like everyone I know is having a baby.

I can’t log into Facebook without seeing status updates with pictures of sonograms, nurseries and “baby bumps.”

Logan and I haven’t made the plunge into parenthood yet. But when we do talk about having children the conversation always involves having more than one. Siblings offer a unique interaction that you just can’t get any where else.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that all single children are socially awkward. My nephew* Kaelum is an only child and he is one of the coolest kids I know.

My reason for wanting my child (if I’m lucky enough to have one) to have siblings is because I can’t imagine my life without my sisters.

My family is a bit unconventional. I am the oldest child and have four sisters all together. I grew up close to my sisters on my mom’s side, Tempest and Breanna, here in Kansas. I connected with my dad and two sisters on his side, Crystal and Emily, as an adult.

I feel connected to all my sisters, especially Tempest and Breanna as our childhoods are intertwined. My sisters are the only ones who understand my crazy family dynamics.

They are the ones I turn to during hard times and laugh with during good times. They get me in a way no one else does.

My sisters also serve as a witness to life’s events, both tragic and triumphant. There are times in my life where I think, “did that really happen?” and check in with one of my sisters to confirm I’m still in touch with reality.

A few weeks ago, as I sorted through my old children’s books, I stumbled across a plastic bag filled with dried four-leaf clovers. Instantly my mind went back to a spring day in my Great Grandma Harris’ yard more than 20 years ago with my sister Tempest. I remember the excitement when we found the first four-leaf clover. And before we knew it we found another. And another. And another. We collected nine four-leaf clovers that day.

I was probably 7- or 8-years old when this happened. I remember thinking that God had magically placed those four-leaf clovers there to show us that we were special and loved. When saw the collection pressed between the pages of a Dr. Seuss book all these years later, the magic flooded back into my mind.

I texted my sister to see if she remembered the four-leaf clovers. She did and couldn’t believe I still had them. (Literally, she couldn’t believe it so I had to send her a picture text of them.)

My sisters are the greatest gift my mom has ever given me. Someday I hope to give my oldest daughter the gift of a sibling as well. Now, if my first child is a boy, well, I might go ahead and stop at one.

*Technically Kaelum is not my biological nephew, but he is my nephew at heart. And the word nephew is much less cumbersome to write than, “my friend Edmee’s son.”