The Three Little Sisters

In the Snyder family there are five kids made up of two boys and three girls. While the boys are near and dear to our hearts I must say there is a special bond only a sister knows. Being one of three sisters makes me incredibly happy. As a kid it wasn't always gumballs and lemonade, but as an adult we have experienced a higher connection to each other.

Sarah is the oldest and managed to give my parents a full education on the terrible teens (oh, you thought it was the terrible twos? not in the snyder house). I have numerous memories of wanting to be just like Sarah. In the late 80's she styled her hair and tight rolled her Z Cavarichi's with the best of them. One particular memory is of her sharing music with me, and more specifically Paula Abdul's Straight Up. I recall sitting on her bed as she danced around her room singing loudly and laughing at that awesome mix of synthesized beats and clever (ha!) lyrics. She could have been playing death metal and I would have loved it just as much for just being summoned to her room was enough attention to last me weeks. As we moved into my high school years I longed to sport the latest fashions like Sarah. I was a repeat offender of the "do not borrow my clothes without asking" boundary. I could not seem to help myself when she would strut home with the latest County Seat t-shirt overall combo or the bangle bracelets from Contempo Casuals.
The years felt like days and they flew by all too quickly. Soon enough we were welcoming Sarah's son, Jake, into the world. The day she shared that she might be pregnant we went out and I bought the test for her to take. I remember telling the store clerk it wasn't for me- really horrified she would think it was- but being brave and purchasing it because Sarah needed it. The new phase of our relationship emerged and it grew into deep friendship.
When I look back at where we have come from, and what Sarah has been through I stand in awe of the healing power of Christ. His provision for us as sisters is amazing. I always considered Sarah a motherly figure in my life because for many of my formative years she was in charge at home while Mom was in the hospital. We have walked through life side by side and always been there to hold each other up. Sarah has been a constant for me, and my number one cheerleader.
Everything about her is admirable and incredible. She's the most amazing Mom I've known other than our own. She has learned to fully live life, and embrace each day as it comes. Her support and love has urged me on to bigger and better things even when it would make her own life more difficult. I love my sister Sarah. I love all that we share and all the things we have yet to share.

Being the middle sister would seem like a sweet deal to some, but for Becca and me it was a bumpy road from the start. Rebecca and I shared a bedroom until we were into our teen years. We always had either a bunkbed or two twins and matching bedding. Dozens of photos of us in the preschool years would lead some to believe we were twins because we were always dressed alike. Our sweet round cheeks and big brown eyes mirrored each other, and often times still today we hear that we look remarkably similar. Rebecca being a little over two years younger than me caused great joy and heartache. In our elementary days we were great playmates and comrades. I had a built-in pupil anytime I had an urge to play "school". Later into our teen years the differences between us became painstakingly obvious, and Becca cried out for her individuality. Her path was to be more challenging than mine, and my resistance to that was also made known. In other words- we fought horribly as teenagers. I believed I knew everything, and Becca knew I did not. We walked all over each other and destroyed our relationship with words and behaviors we both wince at remembering.
Rebecca went to live with our Dad, and the period of being drawn to Christ's light began. It was a long journey, but a successful one none-the-less. I had accepted Christ about a year before Rebecca's full transformation, and God provided the first of many experiences for our reconciliation to be built upon. I guided her through the first couple of years as a Believer with all its questions, doubts, heartaches, and convictions. She moved away from home for college and returned the favor of being the leader when I left for Arkansas. The following year I lost my dear friend, Rachel, and God provided more life for Rebecca and I to share. There has been a steady back and forth to the one leading the way and clearing the path. The most recent being my move to Boston and her following after moving to Madison, WI. The bond that we share by sharing life has been strengthened with each year and each chosen turn in our paths. Hopefully someday she will be able to guide me through a first year of marriage as she embarks on that experience this very day.
Becca's friendship and constant support of me have changed my life. I remember telling a friend many many years ago (pre-Jesus days for us both) that I did not believe Rebecca and I would ever be friends. I had lost all hope for our relationship. The God of the universe had a very different plan in mind! Not only did he heal our hearts and reconcile our relationship- he strengthened the bond between us and made us Friends! Icing! I will always consider our story to be one of the greatest stories of healing ever told.

Three sisters. I would not change it for all the money in the world. As life moves on and we each stretch our limbs toward our individual paths we become more entwined in each other's hearts. I thank God for the relationships we share, and the power of His blood washed over the three of us. I praise Him that I will enter Heaven with my sisters spending all of eternity with them! What joy to imagine praising the King for all eternity with my sisters by my side!
After our Mom passed away my friend, Kristen, wrote about how much of her lived in the three of us. Each of us has found a way to feel close to Mom when the other ones are around. Mom taught us so many things about life, love, and homemaking that today we stand as three independent women embodying virtues of the ultimate homemaker and friend, our Mom. When the sad days roll around a conversation with Sarah or Rebecca can walk me right through the reality and into a safe place of grieving. I am so grateful for their resemblance to Mom, and the great encouragement it is to me in times of sorrow. Sarah with her practical and emotional support urging me to take life by the horns, and Becca with her quiet reverence to nature and humanity reminding me to be conscious of the sound of my footsteps. Thank you, Jesus, that we had so many years with our Mother and are able to uplift each other in her place.

I love my sisters.