It seems like during every stage of my life, I’ve found a special friend.

In Texas, I remember playing countless hours of Peter Pan with Elizabeth in our house. When I moved to California, I found Heidi Hyiatt and almost every memory revolves around endless summer days spent in her pool. In 7th grade, I found myself partnered with Jean Chung to craft a sculpture of Garfield made from 100 sticks of bubble gum we had to chew ourselves. From this beginning sprang a friendship that would see me though the horror of middle and high school. At UCSD I found Kevin, and still haven’t been able to shake him! I survived law school and the terror of working in a law firm thanks to Kat. The countless hours we spent together studying for the Bar have been burned forever into my memory.

But even though I have been blessed with all these wonderful friends, there is one person who sits above them all…..

My sister.

I have no memory of a time before Suzy. Being 20 months apart, we were custom made playmates. And oh the games we played! Hours and hours of Benji, Battle of the Planets, spiders, Charlie’s Angels, roller skating, tree climbing and endless games of make believe. Sure, we fought but that didn’t matter because we loved eachother as only sisters can.

So when I began planning my family, I hoped and prayed that I would have two little girls close together. I wanted that special relationship for them. I wanted them to have someone to play with and love. I wanted them to be true sisters. So imagine my joy when my girls were born a mere 22 months apart! Could anything be better?

Um, yeah.

Turns out having two little kids at the same time is really really really hard. Endless diapers, endless crying, and fractured night sleep to mention but a few of the joys of two kids under the age of 2 at once. And that whole playmate thing? It wasn’t happening. Nope, it appears my sisters were broken. They wanted nothing to do with eachother and my vision of them playing happily (and quietly) in the corner while I sat and read my book was merely a hallucination. Instead, I spent all day mediating between the two of them. Trying to get Leina to share, trying to get Kulia to be gently, trying to stop the endless fighting.

And, then… something happened.

I don’t know when or what it was, but I think the sister gene is finally kicking in. Every now and then, I’ll find them playing together so happily. Leina’s in charge and Kulia is her willing peon. They play doggie or mommies. There’s no fighting or yelling. Just laughter. Laughter people! Can you belive it!? When this happens, I sit very very still and barely dare to breathe for fear of breaking the magical spell.

I think my girls have finally figured out what I’ve known for a long long time. If you are lucky, you’ll make some great friends throughout your life. But your sister? Well, your sister will be in a league all of her own. There is no friend like a sister.