Sisters. Friends.

Sisters are complicated. You grow up unsure whether you love them or hate them. You get used to their presence at some point and accept them as one of life's inevitabilities, like pimples or traffic jams. If you have sisters like the ones I grew up with, you'd understand the annoyance of finding your favorite yellow dress among the dirty laundry instead of in your closet where you saw it yesterday or your white sneakers caked with mud after you scrubbed it to look like new a few days prior.

And how about that piece of cake you were saving for dinner? You thought about eating it with the ice cream you bought last minute at the mall before taking the bus home. You open the refrigerator, smile at seeing the familiar red box and feel your mouth slightly water at the thought of sinking your teeth into the velvety dough and taste the richness of the chocolate filling... but wait... where is it?

Gone. One of the girls you live with ate the last piece, your piece! War ensues. The next time you find cake in the fridge, you don't ask whose it is, you eat every morsel of that thing, no matter how stale it tastes, even if it's not your favorite, even if it's too sweet for your liking; because it belongs to one of them and you want to see that look of shock and disappointment and frustration and, yes, the pain, oh the pain!

I'm sure it sounds petty to those who did not grow up with siblings or have not experienced the same thing. It's actually worse, believe it or not. When we were kids, we got into fights that ended with a bloody forehead or someone falling off a staircase. In the course of a single weekend, we'd have played hundreds of games and millions of little fights in between. 

However, the good thing about sisters is you can never stay mad at them for too long. It only takes a little nudge before you're best friends again. That's how my sisters and I were, at least. As we got older (and wiser), we've learned that getting even may have been a fun thing to do when we were kids but keeping the peace (and giving them the best Christmas gifts!) was the best way to borrow anything from their cute accessories collection. The beauty about having a sister is you get an extra wardrobe at your disposal (with permission, of course).

Estrangement is a reality that some people face. Sometimes life deals you a hand you can't refuse and relationships often get caught in the crossfire. But knowing my sisters, the possibility of us turning our backs against each other is close to none. Yes, we manage to get on each other's nerves every now and then but we love each other to bits more than twice the time. 

Looking back on all the years we've had together (or apart), I feel bad for the times I wished I grew up an only child. Some of the best times I've had were spent with them dancing in the rain in our backyard; or singing our hearts out on summer afternoons when electrical blackouts were frequent; or whispering scary stories while huddled under blankets on dark and stormy nights. A part of me is still that girl who will always cherish those moments.

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Ratwin and E=MC2, our relationship may have taken a backseat to the primary ones you now have with your husbands and kids, as it should; but I am confident that we would always treasure the years we've had together and we'd love each other no matter what. My hope and prayer is for the days ahead to be kind; for tears to flow less and laughter to often ring in your halls; for fewer bad hair days and more fun lunch buffets, unlimited ice cream, and yes, for always finding the last piece of cake you saved for dinner. Happy Birthday, My Favorite July Girls!