What I Like Best about My Siblings

            Families are strengthened when siblings have good relationships. Parents can encourage good sibling relationships by treating their children fairly and honestly. There is much truth in the title of a hymn, “There Is Beauty All Around when there’s Love at Home.   

   

            I received a different but interesting and appropriate gift for Mother’s Day. One of my daughters gifted me with a subscription to “StoryWorth.” The idea behind the subscription is for me to write the stories of my life. Each week my daughter will select a question, and the company will email it to me. I am supposed to write the answer to the question and send it back. The company will send the answer to my daughter as well as combining the answers into a book at the end of the year. Here is another picture into who I am.

            The question for week 12: What do you like best about your siblings? This is an easy question for me to answer because I love my siblings and love to be with them. The thing that I like most about my siblings is the unconditional love that I receive from them and feel for them. I enjoy being with my siblings more than anyone else in the world other than my immediate family. I know that they accept me and love me in spite of my many weaknesses and problems. I also know that they will support me at any time in anything that I might ask of them.

            I like the way that my siblings boost my self-esteem and make me feel good about myself. I like the way that our communication with each other is always positive. I like the way that we can joke and laugh with each other about the silly things we do and not be offended. I like the way that my siblings share their talents with me, whether it is family history work, quilting, or whatever.

            The only thing that I do not like about my siblings is that we do not have regular communication with each other. We tend to stick to our own lives and never make contact with each other unless there is a problem or need. If a telephone call is made, it is usually me that makes it. Even with the email and Facebook, it is like pulling teeth to get a response out of some of them. I wish that we had more frequent communication. I envy women who have regular outings with their sisters – which would include my sisters by marriage. My dream would be to live in a community with all my siblings and see them weekly or even more often. My dream would be to live in a community with all my siblings and see them weekly or even more often.

            Even without frequent communication and visits, the unconditional love that we have for each other makes us better people. Families are strengthened when there is unconditional love in the home. When siblings truly love each other, they are happier and the family is stronger. Strong families strengthen communities and nations.