Coming from a close knit family, I was always so upset when I realized I was never biologically blessed with sisters. Little did I know that this mindset would soon change when I realized not only the perks of being an only girl, but eventually joining an organization where I gained more sisters than I had ever hoped for.
I'm a middle child, and it's safe to say that I had, (and still most of the time) am guilty of having "middle child syndrome." I was always jealous of my friends who had older sisters to talk to, about boys and do their makeup and hair. Someone to borrow clothes from, or even a younger sister to teach her the ways of girlhood, from adolescence to adulthood. Instead, I had been given brothers, and growing up was very different from those of my friends who had sisters.
There was a lot of fighting in my household between my siblings and I, especially when you had not one, but two brothers, where they could gang up on you like no one's business. However, I learned to live with it, and ended up learning things that my other friends, who did not have brothers, never had the privilege to learn.
I became really competitive and aggressive in sports. From playing in my front yard and having catches with both of my brothers and my Dad, I toughened up, and learned how to roll with the best of them. I also learned how to throw a football which would come in handy later in life, I would soon learn...
Being a girl wasn't so bad, I didn't have to worry about getting hand-me-downs, or having someone stealing my clothes constantly. However, all of the other things that were vital to surviving in a girl's world like, makeup and hair and clothes, I learned mostly on my own. (with the lovely aid of youtube videos and lots of trial and error)
What I never knew was, what God had in store for me ...
A sorority.
This was better than having biological sisters because I got to have so many; I didn't necessarily have to live with them, but all of the amazing perks that came with biological ones, I got to experience with my sorority sisters. Like most people say, I never predicted that I'd be in a sorority with nearly 100 other girls. Girls who I had always met in high school and middle school were always so dramatic and catty. It was never an area of life that I was particularly strong in, so, making friends with other girls was a struggle, to say the least.
Thankfully, between having no biological sisters and my sorority sisters, I got the best of both worlds, and still do. I have two brothers to spend time with when I don't want to be drowned in the standards of a girl world, to laugh with, hang out with, joke around with, and be athletic with. Crossing over to my sorority sisters, I get to share clothes, do each other's makeup, create amazing memories, gain priceless advice and can excel in athletic events, like Greek week, thanks to my brothers for the football coaching.
It's safe to say that, I'm proud of who I've become, from both my family background, and my family I've found in my sorority. Being able to experience both has given me so much perspective and has helped me realize how much I'm blessed to have been able to experience both brothers and sisters whether we're related by blood or not.
