Being a sister and having a sister is a beautiful thing. I myself have three wonderful sisters that I am proud to call mine. I was also very lucky to see my mother and her sister (my tia Rachel) and their relationship as I grew up. It was an amazing journey for them as sisters. They were always together throughout childhood and their adult life. And I thought it was this physical closeness was what was needed to have that close of a relationship. I was wrong. They were the closest sisters I had ever known...until now.

Most of you that have read my posts have heard me talk about my daughter Lauren and her blonde moments. But if you have seen my photos you also know that I have another daughter named Grace. Lauren lives with me, but Grace does not. I don't quote Grace much in my posts because she doesn't put her foot in her mouth nearly as much as Lauren does. Grace once told me that she is a fond believer in "it is better to keep quiet and let people think you are dumb than to open your mouth and prove it." I asked her who taught her that and she said no one. She said she learned it from watching Lauren.

Lauren

Lauren is a beautiful blonde girl with greenish eyes. She loves sports and is very feisty. She thinks she is a big shot and no one can mess with her. She will be the first one there to back up a friend that needs it and will always be there for you.  Lauren is tough. She thinks she knows everything and believes that she will live forever. No one can tell her what to do. She claims not to be afraid of anything. Walking down the hall at her school is an act of daring for her. She dares anyone to mess with her. She dares any teacher to stop her from breaking rules she wants to break. She dares people to follow her. I tend to think of her as a gang leader with out a gang. She is growing up faster than her brain can catch up. She is actually very smart. She does very well in school and excellent in required state exams. It is just when she opens her mouth strange things happen. It is like her brain is not at all connected to her mouth. She knows it to. She almost immediately laughs after she says something stupid. She craves attention. Like every other 13 year old out there she has discovered boys and all hell has broken loose. She is constantly on the phone and texted an impressive 10,000 texts this August alone. And to think this weekend I could not get her to complete a 250 word essay for a class assignment. 

Lauren has a tough mindset. She will always have the last word. Even if she says it under her breath as she walks away. No matter how many times you call her back to end it, the final word will slip out of her mouth just  loud enough for you to hear it, but not loud enough for you to know what she said. 

Gracie

Gracie is a beautiful brunette with big brown eyes. She has lived away from me since the day she was born. She is a quiet little girl with a smile that will knock you on your ass. And if you are a thirteen year old boy in her school  right now, that smile will be what you remember when you think back to your Junior High School years. She is that gorgeous. 

She is nothing like Lauren when it comes to attitude. If I give Lauren a stern look she will give right back to me. If I give a stern look to Gracie she will cry. If I raise my voice to Lauren she will raise hers right back at me. If I raise my voice to Gracie she will cry. Hell, if I look at Gracie and think about giving her a stern look she will cry. She is that sensitive.

Gracie does very well in school and never gets in trouble. She has, of course, also discovered boys and all hell has broken loose. I discovered the other day that both her and Lauren have "Facebook husbands". I quickly issued them both a "Facebook divorce". Lauren laughed it off and Gracie cried for days.

Lauren and Gracie together 

I tried as hard as I could to keep the girls as close to each other as I could. I would pick up Grace as often as I could, but I could have done better.  I struggled to find ways to make sure they bonded, but I always seemed to fall short. As it happens, though, sisterhood has a life of its own. It turns out I just had to get out of the way for it to happen.

Sometime around the same time they discovered boys Gracie and Lauren found each other. They found out they needed each other. They were both going through things in their life and they needed a sister. They found out that they both had the same problems with their moms, brothers and sisters, and even me. As different as they were they had so much in common. They also had much to learn from each other. Gracie taught Lauren how to not be so angry. How to not let things get to her. Lauren taught Gracie how to stand up for herself. How to be more outspoken. Gracie taught Lauren how to do her hair and how to get away wearing a little make up to school. Lauren taught Gracie how to forge my signature. 

They are half-sisters, but together they are whole.  They now believe that they are the missing half of the other (thats how they describe it). They can't live without each other. Those 10,000 texts Lauren did in August? More than 5,000 were to Gracie. They have so much to learn from each other. Of course, there are bumps in the road. The other day Gracie text me this "YOUR daughter is unbelievable!! She does not care about anyone but herself!! Not even me!! Don't expect me to ever talk to her again!! I love you Daddy! Bye."  I spoke to Lauren and she just laughed and said it was no big deal. I asked Gracie and, well, i couldn't tell what she was saying through all that crying. Anyway they both said that they would not be the first to contact the other. Eight hours later Lauren was begging me to go pick up Gracie. 

Lauren the other day asks me "Dad if Gracie and I fell off a cliff, into the water, and you were right there, which one would you go after first? " She likes to throw these at me once in a while. I said "You of course". She said "Aw Dad I love you. Why me first?" I said "Cause I learned in the academy that when you are trying to save someone from drowning you should grab a large personal floatation device first".  She chased me around the house till we both needed our inhalers. 

The sisters love each other. Despite all my mistakes. Despite every obstacle my life has put in their way. They have found each other and cannot see themselves without each other now. Together they have taken me to heights of love and happiness I would have never known without them. I think they are beginning to realize that I will not be around forever.  I pray that life is kind to them. I pray that they take care of each other the way my mom and her sister took care of each other. I hope that one day, when they have their own children, they find this treasure of happiness they have given me.