Sisters- A League of Their Own

I got a rare moment today to flip on the t.v. while both of my little ones napped at the same time. Apparently we are getting a free sample of movie channels because there they were, all inviting and stuff on this cold, rainy Monday. I flipped through them briefly and was elated to find "A League of Their Own" just starting!

If you haven't seen it, this movie is about the woman's baseball league started in the 40's when men were fighting in World War 2. I LOVE this movie. Love it. The athlete in me loves it. (Yes, for those who know me and find it hard to believe, I was once a basketball, softball and track team member.) The girly girl in me loves it. There's romance and dancing and missing far away husbands fighting in war. And, the sister in me loves it. Because, after all the baseball and the war stuff, the competition and conflict- this movie is about two sisters. Two wildly different sisters who love each other wildly and strongly and only in a way you can ever truly get if you are a woman and have a sister.

The climax of the movie is when the sisters' different teams meet in the World Series. The younger sister, who felt inferior to her more talented and beautiful older sister most of her life, hits the ball into the outfield, races the bases and ends up having to charge into her catcher sister (Gena Davis) in order to score to win the game. At this moment, Gena's character, who always, always catches the ball and makes the play, drops the ball and her sister scores and wins the game. It is left to be imagined if she actually dropped it on purpose, but I have always known she did.

When I was younger and saw this movie, I hated this moment. The competitive athlete in me knew that Gena Davis' character could easily have held the ball but chose to drop it so her sister could win. I didn't feel like I'd make the same choice. Relationships with loved ones can be mended- but come on! This was the World Series! You don't get that moment back!

Now, though? After the lessons I've learned, after the life I lived with my sister, after the difficulty of saying goodbye; now I see this movie in a different light. And I get why she did what she did. And I like to think that given the chance I would do the same.

Sisters really are a league of their own. Ask any woman who has a sister and whether that relationship is good or bad, she will most likely agree that her relationship with her sister affects her strongly. I was blessed to have an excellent relationship with my late sister, Meah, so much so that movies like this one, reduce me to tears now, because I miss her so deeply and I miss that relationship- a relationship that will never be replaced, no matter how many great girl friends I have. And we weren't perfect- we argued, we disagreed, and we could not have been more different. But, it doesn't really matter what views you agree or disagree on, or how far away you are, or when the last time you talked was. If you are sisters, there is some unwritten rule that you simply are there when you need to be. Always. Doesn't matter if the whole team is expecting you to hold the ball. Doesn't matter if it's the World Series or the Olympics. You just have to be there. That's what being in this League means.

I know too many people who have strained relationships with their sisters. I am praying, truly, often, that these relationships will be mended. I feel like it's a privilege to have been in this League, even for the short time I was. And if you're in this League- well, then, you're blessed my friend. And I hope you and your sister(s) are willing to drop the ball when it counts!