Closer Than A Sister

Closer than a Sister

There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

Everyone needs a Jenny in their life. Supportive, steady, with a secret competitive streak over board games and daily step counts, Jenny (and her husband, Carl) have run to our rescue more times than I can count.

Since we have no family nearby, we’ve added Jenny’s name and phone number to our children’s emergency contact forms. Whether it’s driving hundreds of miles to rescue my husband stranded on a Wednesday night with a blown engine, or delivering a spare key after I locked the kids and myself out of the house early on a Monday morning while Aaron was traveling, Jenny’s family has shown up in some of our most desperate moments and has been a part of some of our happiest memories.

We’ve traveled together. We’ve acted as sous-chefs and grill masters during one another’s parties so the hosts could focus on mingling instead of cooking. We’ve walked alongside one another through heartaches, serving as a listening ear and a safe place to unpack complex emotions as we decided next steps.

Jenny and Carl have been family to us in the good and the bad, through the funny and the hard, and their friendship is both precious and sacred. That does not mean that our friendship has always been easy—we fight for it at times, choosing to believe the best of each other, choosing to navigate each other’s imperfect moments, understanding that we bring both strengths and weaknesses to our friendship because we are humans who sometimes miss the mark.

The friendship of someone who sticks closer than a sister is to be clung to, held sacred, and fought for, because that kind of friendship is precious and rare. It often takes years to develop, with shared moments of hilarity and sadness. It grows as you live everyday life alongside one another, over cups of coffee and game nights and backyard BBQs. It involves making time for each other and understanding that the rhythm of friendship will sometimes require you to give more to make the friendship work, just as sometimes it will require her to give more during your season of need.

— Julie

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Think of a friend who is closer than a sister. Send her a note or text letting her know how much she means to you.