Sisters

In the Sisterhood there is power.
And in the Sisterhood there is protection.

Whether connected by family,
Or connected by honor and respect,
We are all united in blood,
And the desire to create beauty and truth.

We share a lineage of mystique that men cannot fathom.
We are made of flesh and bone as they,
And yet
The magic of our souls is uniquely feminine.

There is comfort in the softness we exude.
And there is a fierceness
With which we protect and defend
That is uniquely our own.

When confronted by the winds of change,
Instead of huddling in fear under their weight,
We come together and find solutions.

We share each other’s joys and
If no solution is found,
Women find a way to share the pain.

By Cheryl McDonald, 2023©

If you would like to hear me read this poem, please click below.

Sisters, is a watercolor that was inspired during a class I was teaching in an art gallery. It was a watercolor class, and the exhibit at the time in the gallery, was a mix of sculpture and paintings. One of the artists had created a sculpture from a baby christening dress. And I had chosen this as the still life model for the students to create their own work of art from. I painted along with them, sharing techniques along the way. Everyone’s watercolor was different, which is always the case and after the work was done, we shared our stories and art that was inspired by the dress.

I was one of four daughters, born to my parents. There were no sons, just us girls. I was the oldest and the next one after me, Linda, was born on my second birthday. The other two, Denise and Lisa came at various intervals later. We were all our parent’s pride and joy. We were a very close family and grew up taking care of each other. We did not always get along, there were many times I wished I was an only child so I didn’t have to deal with these pesky little sisters. But those times were rare, and Linda and I, being so close in age, were mostly best of friends.

As we all grew up, and parents passed on, we were all mostly friends, however, we have had periods in our life when we weren’t close. Even still, we have always be there for each other at least in spirit, if not in practice.

As an adult, I discovered that is was possible to have sisters with whom I was not related by family, and they have been an important part of my life even when I was married. Now, as I age, I realize that sisters are the friends that sustain me through all of life’s ups and downs.

Don’t get me wrong, I love and have loved many men in my life as well, however there is a language that women share that is unique. And this painting is a tribute to the wonderful joy of having sisters to support me through all the storms of life.

Thanks for reading, and have a Happy Day!

Cheryl