God Help the Mister That Comes Between Me and My Sister

Hello, Blog Friends! I’m sorry I have neglected you for the past seven days. It has been a busy week. My sister Heather, the One and Only (as she wishes to be called), was visiting me in Colorado. She arrived last Friday night and I dumped her back at the airport yesterday. This is the first time she’s visited me in Colorado since I’ve lived here, so it was a special visit!

We got to go skiing together (my first time back since the liver incident) with my besties. We also got to see some of downtown Denver, go shopping, have a dinner party with some of my closest friends, Heather fulfilled a lifelong dream of dead lifting a boulder like Atlas, and she got to buy some real live cowboy boots.

I had a lot of fun showing her around Colorado Springs and giving her a glimpse into my life while she was here. I also really enjoyed getting to know her better as an adult. I think sometimes I forget that she is just as much an adult as I am and she’s living on her own just like me. Heather and I have very different personalities and this sometimes causes us to clash. This visit was no exception. But I think I learned some really valuable lessons during this visit.

I realized that my pride has been keeping me from seeing what a wonderful person my sister has grown up to be. Sometimes I forget that people grow and change during times apart. When I go home, I desperately want my family to see how I’ve changed; how I’m making progress towards becoming a better human being and Christ-follower. I want them to see a more likeable, kinder version of the self-indulgent teenager they remember from a decade ago when I left for college and stopped being a part of their everyday lives. When they don’t see this, I get hurt and frustrated, reverting back to the girl they knew and providing proof for their theories about me. It’s a vicious cycle. Self-fulfilling, even. Yet, while I expect them to exchange the memory of that old person with the new me (or at least the progressive me), I don’t always afford them the same grace.

Heather is a caring, compassionate, hard-working, and sensible person. I can learn a lot from the selfless way she is living her life. She sees the best in people and wants everyone to thrive. She is not critical like I am, but tries to put everyone’s actions and attitudes into perspective, giving them the benefit of the doubt. I’m very sorry for the hurt that I’ve caused her over the years because I neglected to acknowledge all of these wonderful things about her. It is my prayer that I will always see and appreciate these qualities in her, not allowing my vision to be clouded by old hurts and perceptions. Heather, thanks for your patience with me.

Well, that got serious for a minute. But maybe this will help you reflect on the oft-forgotten blessings in your life. If not, well, it’s my blog and I can get sappy when I want. I’ve got a really funny one prepared for tomorrow, though, so stay tuned…Happy Thursday!