Stories

Friends for a Lifetime

Siblings should be friends, but it is not always the case. Sometimes differences get in the way and act like iron wedges that split relationships. But sometimes a commitment to each other is like iron straps binding lives together. My daughters are friends. I hope they will be friends for life.

The sisters are going out for the afternoon. Each gets ready at her own pace. Fourteen-year-old Mary comes out of her room first. She is stylish without being fussy. She wears jeans and a contemporary hoodie layered on top of a name-brand tee. Her hair is damp when she walks out the door.

Seventeen-year-old Jenny and 22-year-old Amie run neck-to-neck in the time it takes for them. They have a regimen that is specific before leaving the house for any occasion. Both have their hair styled, handbags match their outfits, and the accessories are proof of their attention to detail.

Amie joins Mary and waits for Jenny who is always fashionably late by only a few minutes.

Their plan is set. Lunch out at their favorite eatery followed by a trip to the “best” mall in the area, and frozen coffee drinks at the boutique coffee shop rounds out the excursion. Kathy and I remind them in unison to call when they arrive. Standing at the front door, we wave as they drive off.

The three sisters are friends, and their special bond can be defined by spelling out the word sister. Each letter defines a character of their relationship.

“S” stands for “share.” As young children, the three shared a bedroom. As different as each is from the other, they have shared clothes and toys, and today they share jewelry and fashion accessories. They share interests in music, movies and books. They agree on the importance of education. And they share a support for each other’s dreams.

“I” stands for “involvement.” When Amie first went off to college, her sisters were there looking over her shoulder. Every activity, every new experience interested them. Amie has rearranged her schedules to attend band competitions in which her sisters have participated.

Each keeps up with boyfriends, sharing joys and ardently supporting each other at breakups and times of disappointments.

“S” is for “sympathy.” One rule has always been central in our family – we lift each other up and refuse to tear each other down. Being sympathetic begins by caring how the other feels. They are with each other if one is standing alone. They care for each other. The sisters laugh together, and they hurt together.

“T” is for “together.” Time spent together creates a bond from the common experiences. The sisters are together because they enjoy being together. They do not spend every minute with each other. They have their own friends, but when they are together, they are comfortable with their similarities as well as their differences.

“E” is for “enthusiasm.” In the vernacular, the sisters have each other’s backs. They are the ever-present cheering section for each other. They compliment and temper each other, as the case demands. No matter what, each of the sisters has two steadfast, enthusiastic supporters in her corner, and that’s worth a lot in this world.

“R” is for “resilient.” As lovely as my daughters are, they are not perfect. As loving as they are, they can be self-centered. As much as they give, they also find it hard at times to give up things clinched by their grasps. My daughters are friends because even when they are not lovable, they love each other. Their friendship is long-suffering and possesses enduring faith in each other.

Friends are friends for a lifetime when they refuse to be anything but dear friends. Scripture teaches that a “friend loves at all times.” A fair weather friend is really no friend at all.

My daughters are well on their way to being lifelong friends.

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