Sisterhood

My older sister has the curliest hair I have ever seen. My hair is straight as a pin. When we were very young we used to go get our hair cut together. The hairdresser would inevitably say, "I've never seen two sisters with such different hair." I'd then proudly announce that she was adopted.

The hairdresser would usually get embarrassed and be at a loss for words, but to me, my sister's being adopted wasn't something to hide and I told anyone who asked. Of course, being so young, I never really reflected on how that made her feel, but it was so natural to me that I never thought it could hurt her to let everyone know. After all, we were born in the same hospital, delivered by the same doctor, and even left the hospital in the arms of the same parents, just two years apart. Even if she were my biological sister, I doubt we could be any more "sisters" than we are.

We've done the screaming, the door slamming, the swearing the hitting, and the scratching. We've shared with and stolen from each other, spit in each other's faces, and even forced each other to eat dog food. We've had secrets from our parents and from each other. During our younger years we were more likely to have a spirited argument than a heart-to-heart talk, but now that we're both over thirty, we have become good friends.

There's not much drama to this family story: my parents had difficulty having children, a young teen mother decided that she couldn't raise her baby, and my sister became a part of our family. I thank them all for giving me a sister. Without her my life would have been completely different and I never would have become the person I am today. I am so proud of her and her accomplishments, and she is a wonderful mother in her own right now. One thing that I am very jealous of is that she will never turn into my mother, and I already have.

For me, the special bond of sisterhood is more about shared experiences than shared genes. Even though we may not biologically have the same family tree, our roots are in the same soil.