Coeur de Joy: A Sister is a Forever Friend

There are eight children in my family, five boys and three girls. My position in the line up gives me the unique opportunity of having both a big sister and a little sister.

Siara, my older sister, is only 17 months older than me. We have often been mistaken for twins, and no one seems to know who is older (although people always guess that I am. Boo! I'm an old lady.)

I inherited a love of all things girly and feminine from Siara. She is "fancy" as my darling nieces call her. An artist, a master hairdresser, a makeup connoisseur, and a fashionista in a way that is completely impossible to replicate. Her home is impeccable, her wedding was unbelievable. And more importantly, she is the most fiercely loyal person that I know. She is truly my best friend, kindred spirit, and love of my life in every way imaginable.

I am 8 years older than my younger sister, Shayla. She is sandwiched between two brothers before and after her. She grew up in a very different family than me. I moved away to college when she was just nine years old. We have always been close of course, she is my sister. But we have never connected in the way that Siara and I naturally did because of our closeness in age. Mostly because we weren't in the same house for relatively long.

This sweet sister has always said that she wanted to serve an LDS mission. In October 2012 when President Monson announced the age change, she immediately felt the call and changed all her plans for the next several years in order to put in her mission papers. She was called to the Chicago Illinois West mission and reported to the MTC in September.

I was blessed to spend a week with her in Connecticut before she left. It's hard to describe how much I look up to this little sister of mine. I have had the opportunity of watching Shayla grow up into one of the most incredible women I have known. She is kind, generous, witty as can be, smart (almost painfully smart!) She has a quality about her that makes her so genuinely likeable. I don't know anyone that she can't get along with. Growing up surrounded by boys made her so not dramatic in such a fabulous way. She says what she thinks, but loves everyone without guile.

That time with her in September will always stand out to me as one of my favorite trips. Mason adores her. She spent every moment that she could playing with him and giving him every bit of attention he begged her for. So much so that we were still packing her suitcase at 11 pm the night before she left for Utah. =)

She is so dedicated to doing what is right and good. I only wish that I could have had her maturity at that age. I wish I had her maturity now!

Shayla will be blessing the lives of the people in Chicago for 18 months, and while we miss her dearly (Mason asks for her on a near daily basis) we couldn't be prouder of her.

Like Jo March said, "I could never love anyone as I love my sisters."

I know that the family is of a divine design because sisters are a part of it.