Do you have a sister? I do, her name is Monique, and she is a blessing in my life! Today is her birthday and I visited her to give her a hug, gifts, and celebrate her day! Our friends know that we are very close, and many have said they admire the friendship and special relationship we have. A relationship with a sister is a unique one. My sister is not only family, she is my closest friend, confidant, and supporter. She is one of the most important people in my life and that I love the most. I can confide in her about my most personal things, I know she will not judge me, and that our bond is very special and strong. She can understand and relate to what I go through, regardless of the situation. That is a nice feeling.

I am thankful to God for blessing me with such a wonderful sis! We see each other often and chat on the phone almost daily. Every time I see her, I automatically smile!  If I don’t see her for a week I already miss her and my nephews! On special days, like today, I stop and reflect on how nice it is to have a sister like mine, of how fortunate I am.

My sis is only three years younger than me, so we have been part of each other’s lives since she was born – well, our entire lives!  We shared a room growing up and continued as roommates when we moved back to San Diego in our early twenties – I was starting my career, she was studying at SDSU. She was my roommate until she got married. I remember that on her wedding day she got ready at our home (vs. our parents home). I got ready at her home for my wedding.I was her maid of honor, she was mine. I was in the delivery room with her when she gave birth to her beautiful two boys. I have been in the emergency room with her and she has brought me chicken soup when I have gotten sick. We have cheered each other on, celebrated our successes, and been each other’s shoulder to cry on or lent an ear when the other simply needed to vent. We have partied together and grown together, supporting each other every step of the way, through each stage of our lives. We can laugh, cry, and be silly together! Regardless of what life throws our way we say, at least we have each other and we are oh so thankful for that!

So, today on her birthday, I wish her the best – health, happiness, and pray for many more years of nice memories as sisters! Happy Birthday sis – te quiero mucho hermanita!

Do you have special memories with your sister or a close friend you consider a sister? Share them here.

Hugs….to you and all the sisters out there,

Paola