Resilient Spirit

My sister Becky came by the other day and sat with me at my dining room table chatting about the minutia of daily life. It began as a superfluous conversation but quickly moved into a deeply personal topic. Me. She called me a resilient spirit and said the most wonderful, uplifting and deeply moving words to me that day at my table.

I'm usually uncomfortable talking about myself in any deep way to most people, but Becky is not most people. I trust my sister with every fiber of my being. I feel free and comfortable with her in a way I am not with any other human. I feel this way because she has earned my trust. She has kept my deepest thoughts and confessions confidential. She listens without judgement. She has never attempted to teach me through shame or manipulation but with soft words and understanding. She offers help without demanding that I take it and does the same with her advice. She is firm in her beliefs while allowing me to voice mine freely. When I have dark days, she is supportive, loving and never shames me for being human and having human moments in my human life. She's helped me to understand who I am, accept myself and love myself. She has done this through her total and unconditional acceptance of me...all of me....the good, the bad and the ugly. She's managed to teach me late in my life what I never learned growing up; what it means to love unconditionally.

It's not an easy feat to love unconditionally. It's a rare virtue. It takes the ability to forgive. Not just sometimes, but always. It takes a tremendous ability to put yourself in anothers place, to see through their eyes, and if possible, feel what the other feels, as Becky does so well. It sometimes takes long suffering, although as she has taught me, this doesn't mean accepting disrespect, as well as never disrespecting oneself, or others. It takes the willingness to teach if necessary, and to be taught-because none of us knows everything and we can all learn something from everyone. These are but a few of her attributes, a few of her gifts that she shares with me and others. I am blessed to have her as a sister. I hope someday I can repay her for helping to repair my broken heart and spirit, especially these last few years.

Becky, I want you to know it's amazing how you always seem to know what I need and when I need it. There were times when my resiliency was lost and I was breaking... you were there to remind me who I was and what I was capable of doing in this life, having unfailing faith in me. Thank you for always being there for me and knowing my heart and spirit so well. Thank you for your kind, supportive and loving words that help me to keep moving forward. You are my mother, sister, friend and confidant. Thank you for being my guardian angel here on earth. I don't know what I would have done without you in my life, I'm thankful I've not had to find out. Thank you for being you and for loving me so well. You help me believe in myself and help me believe that I am worthy of being loved by others. You have blessed me and continue to bless me in every way a human being is capable. I love you. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. I love you..............unconditionally.