What the hell were you thinkinig? Now is not the time for that!

We had my sister W surrounded in a circle.

My mother said nothing but shook her head.

I was irate. "You are only 19 years old. You finished High School last year, you have a part time job"

"Why would you embarrass our family like this?" my sister S asked in disgust she had just started High School.

"Way to set an example for me" my baby sister C smirked.

The was the ultimate, how could she I was so furious with W that I could barely look at her.  We are mirror images only difference that she thinner and lighter than I am. Most days when we walk out we are called by each others names. When we pick up the phone, people confuse us every single time. I felt smug, superior, smarter. I was doing the right thing. I was in college, I was bringing glory to our family name and legacy.

W stood in the circle of shame and said nothing her head hung low. She understood in that moment she did not have our support. W straightened her spine and walked out of the room. We continued to fume.

Actually we fumed for the next nine months. Everyday the whispers of what the hell was she thinking would float through out our sunny apartment. Inside a cloud hung over us, we were good girls, we lived up to expectations, we weren't like other people.

July came way to soon one day as we were watching TV W's water broke. My mother very calmly picked up the hospital bag that was prepared and jumped into a cab with W.

W had a slow long painful labor, my mother was in more agony than my sister. My mother threatened to hurt whomever didn't end my sister's suffering immediately. Watching my sister's face contorted in agony was destroying my mother second by second. My mom had dreamt of a boat load of grandchildren forgetting how painful and stressful childbirth can be.

And then it happened after nine long months, he was here RX was born. My mother stared in wonder and pride. My sister was to tired, we stopped by the hospital we took one look at RX, small wrinkly gray, fuzzy hair googly eyes and we were in love. In that one second RX completed our family we could feel it the missing piece, he was what we had been waiting for as a family.

In an instant, five opinionated females who never met eye to eye or agreed discovered that in order to give RX the best we needed to come together. Something bloomed between the us as sisters. Something that had never existed before.

We were filled with love for each other but now we were also grateful that our sister had shared this beautiful gift with us. I look at my sister now and I wonder: What the hell was I thinking!

She understood that life hands us all kinds of treasures we are the ones who put conditions and limitations on them. We become blind, ungrateful and in doing so we become unworthy of future gifts because we tarnish the ability to receive gifts.