Yesterday I went to lunch with my friend Jan and her sister Bette as well as another "sewing friend", Karen. Jan and I arrived first and were at a table chatting when her cell phone rang. The caller had gone to the wrong restaurant and Jan was giving her directions to the restaurant where we were. When she hung up, I said, "You were talking to your sister, weren't you?" She said, "Yes, how did you know it was Bette and not Karen?" I told her I could tell by the tone of her voice and the way she directed her to where we were. She said, "you mean a motherly tone?" (She told me that she was nine years older than her sister, and whenever her mom wanted Bette to do something she'd have Jan tell her to do it.) But it wasn't just that--there was something in her voice that was very familial--when we talk to our sisters rather than close friends, there is just something different there.
It made me think about my own sister and our relationship. I don't remember our mother ever having her get me to do things (although she might remember, since she was 9 years older and remembers things I don't), but I do relate to the older sister in a motherly role (in the best sense of the word). I have always looked up to my sister and respected her advice (although I don't always take it!). I envy Jan and Bette who live only a few miles from each other in the East Mountains and spend a lot of time together, while my sister and I usually only have two weeks together in the summer. Thank God for email and phone calls. At least we can keep in touch as often as we want that way.
Dolores, Mom & Mary
