Scalawag Sisters.

Sis and I used to look like this:

Hold the applause, please. We were squirrelly. Well, I was squirrelly. As long as I've known her, Sis has been blissfully stuck in a cute phase. I was stuck in an awkward phase for about the first 23 years of my life. No, seriously. You should see our home videos.

Sis and I were not always friends. I mean, we were friends... but we would have some vicious fights. How vicious? you wonder. VICIOUS. You put two redheads in a room for 16 years and some things are just bound to go awry. Courtney and I shared a room with these two twin canopy beds. During fights those beds became fortresses. We put our brothers to shame with some of our arguments. It wasn't of the teeth-biting and nail-scratching variety. No, ma'am. We rather enjoyed the objects-thrown-across-the-room variety of fighting. For starters, Sis used to pull the canopy posts out of the bed frame and launch them across the room at my head. But, I have to admit my share of the blame as well.

We can call this the Double D period of Emily's life. You've heard of Double A batteries. And, the little tiny ones: AAA batteries. Or, the tiniest ones: AAAA (okay, made that up). Well, someone, somewhere, at some time, introduced the D battery. And, our Mom bought them. For flashlights, for the power drill, for the Boy Scout troop... doesn't matter. What does matter is that I found them. At a young age. And I began to hoard them... in our room... under my bed. And, about the time Sis began launching canopy bed frames at my curly red head the Double D's came out. Can you even imagine the scene? Two sisters huddled behind their respective beds, one launching canopy posts, the other launching size D batteries.

I still shudder to think about it. Those were the days, we say.

Want to hear another story?

I've been living in New York for the last 18 months or so. And, it's been good and wonderful, but it's been hard, too. Really hard. And, there have been days when it's been a little touch and go- days when I wasn't sure if I could stay here another week, or pay the rent for the next month. And, it's still hard. Good, but hard. It's not easy to live in this city. And, Sis knows that. I tell her about it. And, she can't do anything about it really- and I know she can't- but it helps when people listen, doesn't it? It's so affirming to just feel understood (and not crazy).

The other day a $100 gift card to Whole Foods arrived in the mail for me. Out of the blue. What in the world? I thought. There was a note with it:

Because I believe in your dream of staying in New York.

And I believe our God is big.

Here is to getting you through the winter months.

Love you.

From Sis.

And to think I used to throw batteries at that cute little red head.