Happy sisters day!

I've had on my mind to write about sisters sometime this month--inspired by my realization that around the hill from our house are two "sister" trees to our big tree--the big sister.

And I've also been really enjoying my girls who are really becoming good friends... look for them in this second picture, they are there!!!!!!

But first, let me also send a shout out to my sisters.  So grateful to have them! So excited to see them next week, so happy that I sister-friends for my whole life.

A couple good sister quotations: 

A toast once heard:  "To my big sister, who never found her second Easter egg until I'd found my first."  ~Robert Brault


The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend.  ~Cali Rae Turner


Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship.  They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust.  ~Erica E. Goode, "The Secret World of Siblings," U.S. News & World Report, 10 January 1994

Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring - quite often the hard way.  ~Pamela Dugdale

Sisters share the scent and smells - the feel of a common childhood.  ~Pam Brown

A sister shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams.  ~Author Unknown


Now, a few photos of my girls and their budding sisterhood/friendship:

Happy female relationships day!

1. Belated Mother's Day

So, first, a belated happy mothers day to my mother and my mother in law.  Thank you for modeling good motherhood to me, to Mark, to all the people in your lives.  I've read various spin-offs on mother's day (the gist of which is that mothers day is actually quite sad for many due to their losses--- either losses of mothers, grief for mothers they didn't have, grief for children lost early, grief for children not had, etc, etc).  But for this blog post, i just want to acknowledge and appreciate the models of motherhood that have been prominent to me, and to our family.  

I think the whole nature of this blog and this past/current season is about my search for true character and affirmation in my various roles; my primary roles being wife and mother.  So, I'll not address that in this entry except that I couldn't be more grateful than I am for my spouse and children--even if I'm not an daily, exuberant expresser of these things.  oops. 

2. International Families Day?  (oops, now also belated... it was yesterday, May 15th)

Then, I just read this and thought, "I've never heard of this holiday" but hey, raise a glass! :) Seriously, though, I do think that first-world women do have a slightly different context than our mothers in which we are trying to navigate the effects of feminism and consumerism/materialism--i.e. sorting out our roles in the family and in the workplace.  

And developing world women are not necessarily navigating "ologies" but "realities" of providing for children with increasing inflation and urbanization putting demands/expectations on their families also.  May we all have grace and wisdom to find the balance that actually increases quality of life for ourselves and our families. 

Happy International Day of Families 2012:
The International Day of Families is observed on May 15 every year. The theme for 2012 is “ensuring work-family balance” — a tough challenge, given the circumstances facing many families today.

According to the United Nations, 52 percent of women globally are in the labor market. Widespread trends toward smaller households mean extended kin are less available to care for the young and elderly, and employed parents find it difficult to find time to fulfill family responsibilities.

The United Nations urges governments and the private sector to consider methods to create a more family-friendly culture in the workplace. This includes policies that allow parental leave, flexible work hours, and affordable, quality child care. The United Nations also encourages men to do more housework.

The U.N. General Assembly first proclaimed the day in 1993 to promote awareness of the social and economic issues affecting families, which are the core of every society.

What programs should your government or employer consider to create a more family-friendly culture in the workplace?

3. Happy Sisters Day!!!!! But you have to read about this in the next blog entry...

A different kind of book review!