Everyone makes wishes; it is like a form of prayer, a fleeting moment that holds the opportunity to help you make something impossible seem more realistic, even if it is only for an instant. That day happened to be sunny and cloudless with blue skies. It was easy to hear the amused screams of children from the playground with an undertone of birds singing in the background. We sat there in a circle making a pact; promises to be best friends forever. Then, like all kids…we made wishes. Wishes that we actually believed would come true someday if we adhered to the rules that we had set. We are three naïve, immature, and hopeful girls sitting cross legged on the sidewalk; ruining our new play clothes by carelessly plopping down on top of the chalk that had marked off a perfect four-square game. We all eagerly grabbed hands and closed our eyes, one wish each, that was the limit. Do not say it out loud, and never tell anyone what you wished for. I take my time, carefully searching through my past and imagining a future, trying to figure out what one special desire I had that would make my wish perfect. A smile appeared across my face as I figured out what I wanted, “I wish that I could have sisters,” I think to myself. I decided my wish was perfect.
June 10, 2005. A regular date to most people, but a life changing and thoroughly fulfilling moment in time for my family. I could give at list of adjectives to describe the experience, but it would not do the situation justice. Prudence, Eden, and Ruth…the three answers to my one wish. My family: rambunctious, slightly dysfunctional, eccentric, and yet…complete. When we decided to become a foster family, it was more of an afterthought than a reality. We went from a family of four to a family of seven overnight, and to see us now you would think that we have spent every moment of our lives together. Prudence, Ruth, and Eden are the girls who I find crawling in my bed at crazy hours in the morning. They are the girls I toss into the pool on sticky summer days and they’re the ones I yell at for taking my nail polish without asking. They are the ones I watch giggle when they’re playing with their friends, they are the ones I pray for every day, and they are the girls who will forever hold a special place in my heart. They are my sisters, my family, and a large part of my world.
Foster sisters or not, they have impacted my life in more way’s than I’m sure I can account for now. Some people may classify my family as being unconventional, diverse, or just overflowing with confusion, but we would not have it any other way. Ten years ago when I wished I had sisters, I don’t think I knew what I was getting myself into. My newly found sisterhood has truly made me appreciate how much I have been given in this life. Christmas gifts, family dinners, and getting beaten up by an older brother are what most children grow up with, but seeing the light that glows in their eyes truly shows the happiness and genuine thankfulness that these girls have as they experience a way of life previously unknown to them. I watch as Ruth works diligently on her homework every night because she want’s to grow up and be a doctor, and how Prudence graduates as Salutatorian of her class, and how Eden lives every moment carefree, and I see first hand that adversity and struggle mean nothing unless you let them hold you back.
My family has allowed me the opportunity to realize that being different is not bad. We have never been a family that bases itself upon what is normal and from that I have learned that being an individual is an attribute to strive for. My family and my life experiences so far have guided me to a firm belief system and a set of morals that I know will stay with me forever, and now I have the chance to watch my three new sisters grow and experience in much the same way as I did. It’s a good thing I was careful about what I wished for, because the past few years are proof that sometimes, wishes do come true.