Sisters We - The Power of Three

     Last November, I flew out to Newport Beach in California to spend a few days with my two sisters who celebrate their birthdays on that same month. This was the first time we have ever gotten together without husbands, without kids. Except for a day at the spa, we had no other agenda but to bond and reconnect. This was accomplished right away when we decided to share the same  king-sized bed the first night.  At first, I called home to check on everybody but when I realized there was not much I could do for misplaced belts and missed  homeworks, I let my hubby run the show back in Indiana while I starred in my own this side of the continent.

     We had breakfast overlooking the beach the following day.  I'm not used to eating my meal and sipping my coffee at a leisurely pace, in anticipation of the day that lay ahead like an unpainted canvas to do as I will, to create and paint as I want. For the next three hours we walked along the shoreline, collected beach stones smoothed by time and  water, wishing our faces would age the same way, captured our moments in pictures, reminisced and compared notes on how, in our own way, we felt loved by parents who had seven kids and worked full time in a Third World country. I've come to the realize that God gave me not just one but two sisters because my Mom had enough in her hands with seven children. Waves slapped rhythmically against the sand, trying to hold on but eventually giving up and returning to the ocean. Off season for vacationing folks, we had the beach all to ourselves, seagulls  and other birds even ignoring our presence, breathing air rich with the embrace of the  sea, sand and sun. Barefoot where the water meets the sand, there is nothing like standing next to the ocean to remind me that I am just part of something bigger, connected to a larger whole.

    Then came spa day. This place was Disneyland for mamas and papas, lovers and friends, girlfriends and sisters.  Mud baths, mineral baths, aloe vera body paint, steam room, more hot tubs, warm sun, quiet corners to  get a nibble of solitude,  and of course, more sister time. At the end of a full day spent in pampering myself I actually momentarily forgot I had a husband and kids. The day was so  indescribably relaxing  we stopped by a Walgreen chain to pick up some treats. But we won't get into that here. Wink, wink. The pomegranate Martini topped off the day like icing on a cake. Indulging myself on Facebook to my heart's content was the cherry on top of the icing on the cake.

      We literally had the resort to ourselves. A dip in the pool I had  all to myself and my sister soaking in the hot tub bubbling just for her. Not another soul in sight. Surreal was what it was.We ate what we wanted  when we wanted .  Peace, solitude, the sea, a cuppa tea, my sisters, and me.

 I couldn't ask for more to renew my soul except be grateful for the gift of two sisters.

(pic art by a kind stranger)