I was looking through my old photos and came across this one… 

This was the moment, just over 5 years ago, that my two girls, Amy and Jess, first met. The day Amy was born. Jess was 1 and a half. 

    

An amazing, and beautiful, relationship has followed. It is true, of course, that not every moment is as lovely as this one – there are days when the two of them fight like cat and dog – but all the beautiful moments… they make up for the bad days.

    

They say that history repeats itself, and it’s very true in my family. My younger sister and I were born just 15 months apart, and we were just as close – best friends and worst enemies. 

    

There were times when we fought or bickered or fell out, of course, but now, as adults, I couldn’t imagine my life without her. Or my older sister or brother.  I was blessed with an amazing family: my mum, my dad, my sisters and brother have always been there, with unwavering support. So it’s no surprise really that we were over the moon to have two children so close together.

And they aren’t just close in birthdays. They know each other inside out. They will play for hours, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes not. They love each other’s company. They often sleep side by side. And they know what to do to cheer each other up. 

  

Today, as we walked past the penny-pusher machines at the arcade, Amy spotted a shiny 10p that had dropped into one of the trays. This, by the way, is a BIG thing. Just like my siblings and I would do when WE were kids, these two always check the trays for coins as they walk past. But the best they’ve found up until now is a few 2p pieces. A shiny silver 10p… that’s like the jackpot for 5-year-old Amy! 

  

I watched as her face lit up with joy. Then she beckoned me closer and whispered secretively in my ear, “I’m going to give this one to Jess!” And her smile widened. Oh my goodness! Even better than this silver-treasure jackpot, was her delight in giving it as a surprise gift to her best friend. Her sister. 

   

For a moment, I couldn’t tell if my heart was breaking or singing. But it definitely gave me a lump in my throat. Much like that first day in the hospital when Jess gently pressed her hand to Amy’s tummy, and said, “Hello, Baby”.

   

I’m not naive enough to expect that every moment of their lives will be perfectly in harmony. But my own relationships, with my own sisters and brother, have taught me a lot. They will fall out. Sometimes it will be little things, sometimes it will be big things. They will argue and disagree, bicker and bear grudges. 

   

But after all that is done, when it really matters, when they really need each other, they will be there. Bonded. Attached. United.

   

History really does repeat itself.

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