There were never such devoted sisters



My thoughts today have been mostly about my new niece, Sadie!  I looooovvvveeeeee this picture so much!  I think I can see Hailey (big sister) connecting with the the new baby who is going to be her little sister forever, and I hope her best friend.

Hailey and Sadie are almost the same distance in age that Annie (their mom and my older sister) and I are.  

Having Annie as my sister is and always has been a HUGE blessing in my life!  And I hope with all my heart that they can build a relationship like Annie and I have.

Some nights, so late, I would knock lightly on Annie's door, come in and sit down on her floor.  We would talk until late...late...late... about what should we do about a fight with mom and dad, or about a hard assignment, or a struggling friendship, or boys, and even really life shaping things like what we thought about drugs and alcohol, and of course religion.

We did this from the time we were pretty little until Annie left for college.  We just clicked.  We didn't always get along perfectly but we GOT each other.  I remember a day at school when Annie was feeling down. Someone came to me and asked what I thought was wrong with her because she wasn't telling anyone.  I took one look at her and rattled off 5 things she was probably thinking.  I remember her listening, and looking at me and we both just KNEW that we were in each other's heads.

Not all siblings have this twin-like relationship.  I really hope Hailey and Sadie do.  I hope Hailey is as wonderful and supportive of a big sister as Annie is to me, and I hope Sadie is a little nicer to Hailey than I was to Annie sometimes (though I know Annie wouldn't bring it up now, I remember).

I love them both and I am so excited to watch them grow into themselves and have their own sisterhood develop!

And I'm excited to be their aunt!!!

Grateful things: 
1. Sadie Emily Nagamatsu and her righteous caring parents who are some of the people I respect most in the world

2. Brother Peterson's church history class and the mind blowing stories and perspectives he brings up.  I'm so grateful for other teachers like him (notably Dr. Fluhman) who don't shy away from unpleasant stories and difficult questions.  They are lovers of truth and they inspire me to seek it without fear.

3. I'm so grateful to see my parents look overjoyed in the pictures with my nieces.  I kind of thought once I grew up I would move away and not be as connected to my family.  I'm so glad that I still get to see them several times a year and we are connected on Facebook and Skype and they even text me because they know that works best for me.  I'm just grateful for a connected loving family.  I'm glad I have such wonderful parents who have also proven to be incredible grandparents to the kids I"ll have some day (see the kitchen set my mom built for Hailey out of cardboard boxes as proof of their awesomeness).


Am I right?!





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