February 1

I don't have any sisters. As a result, I tend to struggle with relating to other girls and women. Boys, no prob. But girls have always been a whole 'nother ball of yarn to unravel. Today, however, I was blessed with a double-shot of girly goodness, and I think it's just what I needed.

This is Abby with her really good friend Belle after school today. Not to be deliberately cliche, but they truly are two peas in a pod. When they were in second grade, their then-teacher once told me that she frequently mixed them up. I didn't understand until I saw them together for the first time. And the sight was remarkable: they share similar mannerisms, the same color hair, and plenty of likes (dolls!) and dislikes (dogs). And both have opined to me that it would be super cool if they'd actually been born sisters. They are, somehow, connected at the heart. And watching them whisper and giggle makes my heart overflow.

Then this evening, I had the chance to go out to dinner with my friends Jamie and Corie. It was wonderful to get out. It was even more wonderful to share a frank, honest conversation with other girls. I crave real friendship, and tonight was a blessing.

I came away from the day convinced that sisterhood isn't entirely about blood. If it were, those of us who weren't blessed with female siblings would miss out on the inherent joy of those relationships.

I'm especially grateful for Abby and Belle, who quite ironically gave me --the 35-year old mom-- a mini primer on the sparkly parts of sisterhood this afternoon. The experience reminded me that we can --and I believe God wants us to-- learn an awful lot from kids. We just have to pay attention.