Sisters, Haves and Have-Nots

This is a famous family picture of my mom and her sisters that was probably taken in the late 1940s.  They all bought the same blouse, dressed up and had this photograph taken which was presented to Nonna for Mothers Day.  I have to admit that growing up I was jealous of my mom's relationship with her sisters.  I have no sisters (brothers will be another post).   My mom seemed to have a bond with her sisters, two in particular, that filled most of her needs for socialization and friendship.  Among my family and cousins, there are only four girls in four different families, so none of us have sisters.  My jealousy persists when I think about the next generation (see the March post, 'Amy, the Next Generation').  Amy and her sister are training together (from different states) for the Pittsburgh marathon, my twin nieces are in graduate school together and have another sister, one of my brothers has two daughters and there are other sister pairs among the group.  Because of the void that I felt when observing that sisterhood of my mother and aunts growing up, I am probably closer to my female cousins and to my friends.    Those relationships are precious to me, and there is a "broad" support group that is there for me and I hope that I am there for them.  A couple of them have diabetes too.  It helps to be able to share the experiences of being a diabetic, or as I think of it, a member of the club that no one particularly wants to be in.   At Canyon Ranch, I resisted meeting with their CDE (certified diabetes educator),  After all, we have those at the hospital where I work.  But worth the price of the consult was a list of resources she gave me including a particular endorsement of the site http://www.diabetessisters.org/.  There is something comforting about the support of women in the club, even virtual support.  So, it's been added to the list of sites I follow.  Someday I hope to connect in person with this group at one of their conferences.  Meanwhile, tell one of your female friends today how much you value their support and friendship.  I intend to.