“I smile because you are my sister.”

I adore my sister. And I love talking with her. Sometimes it’s hard to believe we have the same parents, the same upbringing, or that we shared a room (short-lived and horrible for her). Though we each are parents to three children, the similarity in our lives seems to stop there on most days. Most days. But not all.

Today, chatting about my job search and gaining her insight as a recent job seeker, I laughed with my sister over shared experiences, seemingly small things that we have in common: traits and hang ups, quirks and that impossible-to-define thing called shared experience.

Carolyn and I view the world through similar lenses, shaded and formed by years of life intertwined. And as with all close relationships, those lenses haven’t always been rose-colored. As the younger sister, I drove my poor Ca crazy. I was Oscar to her Felix, Jan to her Marcia, Rhoda to her Mary, annoying her one day at time, until finally she gave in to my charm. The joy for me, and hopefully for her, is knowing that we are in this for the long haul, constantly and intentionally reshaping our world and our relationship.

I’ve got time on my hands these days, and I’m doing my best not to waste it, to make sure I’m doing those things I love while I have the opportunity, the time, the freedom, if not the money. And so, later this week, I’ll drive to New England, visit my sister and perhaps even my brother. I’ll meet at least one of my great nephews, and I’ll continue to add to the story of my sister and myself.

I read recently this sweet saying, and I love it how it describes Ca and me: “I smile because you are my sister. I laugh because there’s nothing you can do about it!” Author Unknown