Gracias por Nuestros Hermanas (y Hermanos!)

As we’ve reflected this month on what our sisters have meant to us (even if they were the nuns in the Catholic school we attended!), I think it appropriate this week (the week of Thanksgiving) to give our thanks for what our sisters have meant in our lives.

Our sisters have brought us both joy, and pain. Our sisters have been our support, and they’ve been a source of discouragement. Our sisters have been the light of our lives, and our darkness.

But regardless of what our sisters have meant to us, been to us, done to us – they all bring us learning and growth. Whether our sisters have been our closest allies – or our harshest enemies – they have touched those points of tenderness in our lives where we go into our selves to learn and grow.

I’ve received messages this month from women who have lost their sisters (and miss them greatly), as well as women who have expressed their deep hatred for their sisters and the angst they’ve brought to their lives. I’ve also received messages on the closeness of sisters, and how they’ve torn a family apart.

Either way, we cannot deny the import that sisters have had for us. And we can be grateful for them. Whether they taught us to grow by lifting us up, or taught us to grow by showing us that even those closest to us have to be shown the boundaries (especially in how we allow ourselves to be treated), we have gained immeasurably by having these unique beings in our lives.

And, lest I forget, our brothers (both familial or relational) also bring us equally strong and important lessons. Often the male friends, and our brothers, have likewise been a source of both pleasure and pain.

I have men friends that I turn to for advice and insight on the male of the species (especially when they’re particularly hard to decipher), and my brother is a very important person to me – as well as gifting me with a beautiful, kind and amazing sister-in-law, and three nephews.

Further, men don’t always reach out in their hard times, as we women often do, and they need to be remembered – both to be shown appreciation for what they do, and also to be given support when they’re going through a tough moment.

Let us be grateful for our sisters and brothers this week, and if we’re lucky enough to be physically close to them, reach out to give them a hug, a kiss, a word of thanks, or even just a prayer or blessing.

Our families – sisters and brothers – are part of what connects us, makes us a community and – good or bad – show us the most important parts of ourselves. El día de dar la Acción de Gracias is an opportune time to reach out and express what these important people have meant to, and brought into, our lives.

Thank you, herman@s!