There is a plethora of days to celebrate throughout the year. Most don’t catch our attention. But as I looked at the calendar for August to get an idea for this blog, one day stood out to me: Sister’s Day. Sister’s Day, which is on August 2, celebrates the bond between biological sisters. It’s a day to be especially kind to your sister. So if you have a sister nearby or not , let her know how special she is to you. After all, you grew up together, and you and she know things no one else does about your family and each other.
I had a sister who was 5 1/2 years older than me. We got along okay, not great. I wanted to be close, she did not. However, when there was a crisis in the family, it amazed me how much we thought alike and responded to the event. That was really the only time we were close, and I’ve always felt a sadness that it could not be different. My sister died some 14 years ago, and I still think about her often. Especially as I’ve passed her age, and wonder what it would be like if she were still here.
I was not happy without a sister. I needed someone to be more than a friend, to be the sister I missed.. I have been very fortunate. i have some wonderful friends, and a support network that I can rely on when I need help. And I have needed help over the years due to health problems. One day I met a co-worker, and we became very good friends. I asked her if she would be my sister. She is the oldest of 3 sisters, but is younger than me. She said she would, and now I am a big sister and she is my little sister. We don’t always talk a lot or see each other a lot, especially since she has another job, but it is wonderful to know she is there if I need her.
So if you don’t have a sister, or have lost your sister, you can always create that relationship with someone special in your life. And being a librarian, I, of course, have a three “sister” books to recommend. The main one that comes to mind is a beautiful novel by Chita Divakaruni called “Sister of My Heart”.Also, Louisa May Alcott’s classic “Little Women” about the March sisters is a fun, and at times, heartbreaking story. I laughed a lot when reading the “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” by Rebecca Wells. There are many more out there, just Google “Sister novels”. In fact. you will find a list of 270 such books on Goodreads.
Remember to celebrate “Sister’s Day” on August 2, with a sister, biological or not. Women can be wonderful sisters to one another!