I am the youngest of six kids. Four boys and two girls. I am quite blessed to have them as my siblings. I love my brothers and look up to them a lot. They are all hard workers, good fathers, and have sense of humors that leave you with your stomach hurting. A lot. I am lucky to have them as brothers. But I don't think it can beat the fact that, I have a sister. And not just any sister.
I have Mandi!
We have gone through a lot together.
Sharing a room during our younger years, staying up a few minutes past our bedtime so that we could play a game or two, playing barbies (in reality we just set up the furniture dressed our dolls and then called it good), building tents in our room. Then we grew up a little and she put up with my annoying teenage years; stealing her clothes, wanting her to drive me places, and every other typical teenage girl thing I did. The we both grew up a little more, I moved away from home, then she did. We each got married and then started having children. But we lived over an hour away from each other. And then 6 1/2 years ago she moved a lot closer. And it wasn't until then that I really realized how incredibly blessed I was to have Mandi for my sister. And with each passing year, I love it and appreciate it even more.
In the past three months Mandi has gone through the most difficult thing any mother could ever imagine going through.
And during this time I have learned more about her than I have in the past 20+ years. Mandi is amazing.
She is strong.
She has a beauty about her that is so much more than looks.
She is intelligent.
She has a tender touch.
Her love for her children is deep.
Her devotion to her amazing, supportive husband is beautiful.
She can do hard things.
She truly understands the great plan of salvation.
She understands that she needs our Savior (as all of us do)
Her testimony and faith is strong.
I have learned that I need and want to be the kind of mother, wife, and woman that Mandi has become.
I realize even more that I am the luckiest girl to have a sister like Mandi.
Not only do I have the best sister, but we have the best mom in the world! She practically could be our sister!
