SISTERS In October 2009 Ann sent us both an email with an extract from a book she had just finished reading. Because it obviously meant something to Ann we thought we would share it with you today. It was from a novel entitled, aptly, “How to survive your sisters” and she wanted to share a passage from it with us. The particular passage is a niece talking to her aunt, who is giving some advice to her niece by telling her to speak to her mother about a particular problem. The niece says she can’t as her mother would have a fit. Her aunt assures her that she won’t and the niece asks how she can be so certain.. Her aunt replies “Because she is my sister, I’ve known her all my life”. Her niece asks what it is like to have sisters, as she only has brothers. Her aunt responds:- “What's it like? How can I explain? You know darling, it’s kind of like parents. How they embarrass you because you identify with them, only more so because, with sisters, it's as if you share the same skin. You watch them walk through a room or mingle at a party and every gesture, every inflection is so familiar because it's how you walk and talk - you see when they're feeling shy or awkward or humiliated because you react in exactly the same way, often at the same type of things. You know how they're thinking and feeling. It's like catching yourself on video or hearing a recording of your voice. And they know your weak points - all that shared history - they'll say exactly the right things to cut you down to size.. But then again, there's that shared sense of humour, the stuff that will have you all in hysterics while everyone else stares blankly; and knowing that however much you fight and rant and rave, you'll always be there for each other. You know you can insult your sister all you wish, but if someone else has a go at them, then you'll defend them to the death." "Friends may come and go" she finished, "but you're always stuck with your sisters and they're stuck with you". Ann finished her email with the words “Love to both my Sisters forever, Ann x x x” Well we were “stuck with Ann” and what a wonderful person to be stuck with. Our sister was incredibly supportive, always there for us, could be maddening late, could make us stand still ages whilst she took family photos, could talk for hours, but could listen for hours too. When we were little, as our Big Sister, she would hold our hands and look after us (she also cut off all my hair playing hairdressers once, and pushed me off the rocks, cutting open my leg when we were on holiday!), but she was always there, our rock, our agony aunt, our sister. We were her bridesmaids 43 years ago on that happy day when she and Roger married. We have watched her bring up our two wonderful nieces. We have watched her battle not just with MND but two bouts of cancer. We have been overawed by her strength and bravery. We have swopped books, swopped music, swopped clothes. We have cried together and laughed together, and most importantly loved each other. We found this quotation - A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam. For a brief moment its glory and beauty belong to our world. But then it flies on again, and though we wish it could have stayed, we feel so lucky just to have seen it. That’s how we feel about Ann, so very lucky to have been her sister. Our love for Ann will live on in our love for her family; as well as in our hearts. Ann was quite simply - The Best.