Sara's Admirer

My sister-in-law Sara moved to Colorado Springs from Minneapolis about two months ago. She is a year younger than me and has just worked really hard to finish her bachelor's degree. She moved to Colorado because Colorado is the best place in the country to live and just for a fresh start. I am in awe of this amazing sister-in-law of mine! Here is what Sara has accomplished in two short months:

- She has not one but TWO great jobs!
- She has a place to live!
- She has friends she can call her own!
- She has been to a formal dinner at the Broadmoor!
- She has been to Glen Eyrie!
- She now has a somewhat serious friend who is a boy and more than a friend!

This is not typical for Sara -- she was not ever this settled in Minneapolis, and she was there for four years. It's been awesome to see how God has worked in her life, especially over the past few weeks as she's become a greater part of our lives (by proximity) than before.

I've been a big sister by marriage now for 8.5 years and I'm so, so proud and thankful for all three girls I get to call "sisters." Of the three people I know read this blog, none of you are females, so this is really hard to explain, but there is a really special bond between sisters. Even though I don't share Phil's sisters' passions for shopping, clothes, makeup and dad-gum shoes, we do still have an amazing, unexplainable bond. My real sister Erin is four years older than me, but we are extremely close. We shared a room growing up and even in college before Phil and I got married, and that always worked really well for us. Even now, our conversations are on a different level than my conversations with anyone else I know. I can and do talk with her about anything (and I do mean anything). I never realized how special that connection was between us until I got to play big sister to Sara, Amy and Heidi. I love them like we were raised together our whole lives and I'm so proud of who each of them have become!

Anyway, I'm getting sentimental because I'm getting to be a more-involved sister since Sara is now in town ... and I'm loving it. I'm so honored! When she was asking for advice today about this amazing guy she's falling for fast, I sent her my thoughts and her reply of, "I'm so thankful you married my brother! I love you!" seriously melted my heart. There's no greater compliment to a sister-in-law than that!

If you have great relatives, it's worth the effort to tell them that you think they're great. You might think they know it, but they might not. Take the effort and time to make sure they know it! Simple words like these can go a long way.