“They shall be mine,” says the Lord of Hosts. “On the day that I make them my jewels.” Malachi 3:17

It’s not often I weep before I finish the title. But today I did. 

It’s not often that my joy mixes with relief, and a longing to see someone so close to me that I weep. But I just did.

She. 

She is.

She has. 

She did. 

And she keeps going. 

She’s still here. 

I can’t even begin to tell you the real we saw together. The rawness. How together, we saw the darkest parts of life. How we knelt next to each other in grief. How we rocked back and forth in tears, how I wept in her long hair. How she leaned into me in despair.

I can’t even begin to tell you how close we are. 

What I saw. 

Where she was. 

She’s still here. 

I can’t even begin to share how we just knew when the other needed a hug. How we sat and didn’t needed words to fill up a space. How we could sit anywhere and laugh, and how her smile brightens up the whole room. How hearing her voice or reading a text from her makes my whole day. 

I can’t even begin to tell you how my entire life made sense after she and my other sister was born. 

I was only 15.

But I saw her the first time. 

And I knew. 

Her entire life, I have loved her. I have cherished everything about her. I held her hand and read to her. I slept at the end of their bed when they were scared, in the room with Sesame Street on the walls. When I was scared I held their hands too. I didn’t like spending the night places in high school because I missed her. I missed them. 

They were my first dose of crazy unconditional love. 

She is that way with my daughter, her goddaughter. 

When she moved away, I cried for days. Things were so hard, but I couldn’t imagine her not here. None of us could. She is imprinted in our hearts- solidly and completely. She always has a place with us, right here. I was broken, but I knew what she needed. And it wasn’t here. We all knew that, but it took a long time to figure it out.

She knows how much I love her. 

I have told her that every day of her life. 

She. 

This word is loaded with emotion.

 And it should be…She is so many things. Resilient. Strong. Grace filled. Purposed. Sincere. Considerate. Driven. Thoughtful. Grateful. Beautiful. Hilarious. Deserving. Beloved. Fighter. Survivor. 

But I will only use one today. 

Worthy.

She is worthy. 

She has always been worthy, but now she knows it. 

She knows her worth. 

And it is more precious because she has fought for her worth. In a world full of guidelines and rules for perfection, she has stepped past the hallways and doors. She has walked through the brightly colored tape…and found her worth. 

She is WORTHY! 

She is my sister. And I am…so proud of her. 

God kept her here, because her worth is a world changer. 

And she believes Him. 

And so do I. 

She. Is. Worthy.