Sisterhood

What the hell does that mean? When I think of sisterhood, I picture my close female friends from childhood as well as the women I am close to today.

But isn't sisterhood more?

And, if it isn't, shouldn't it be?

I have been thinking about the concept of sisterhood a great deal lately. It has direct bearing on my life at present.

Here is my dream for sisterhood -

1. We don't tear each other down. We build each other up instead.

2. We work collectively, for the betterment of all women (which would have far reaching implications planet-wide), not just ourselves.

These are two very important precepts of sisterhood. Build each other up. Work collectively.

But, too often, we don't.

I want to tell you a little story that was recently passed on to me.

A good friend of mine had been married several years to man in the military. Their relationship had its ups and downs. They both made mistakes. They both broke their marriage vows. But they had both worked to try and make it better.

Enter another woman. While the husband was away from his wife, he met another woman. She was married, had kids, but seemed to be his mate, his perfect fit. But the wife at home thought they were working on themselves in preparation for their reunion.

The other woman wreaked havoc on their lives. This does not downplay the role the husband had in the affair, but I'm talking about women and sisters here.

The other woman knew the man was married, but didn't care. She didn't care that there was another woman at home, waiting for her man, her husband, to come home and try and build a life together, try and heal the wounds they had caused each other.

This other woman is not a sister.

How can a woman do that to another woman? It doesn't matter if you have never met, or if you have been told stories about her. She is a woman and, therefore, worthy of dignity and respect.

Yet the other woman couldn't care less in the pursuit of her selfish desires.

Childish, immature and totally lacking in a sense of honor or responsibility toward the sisterhood.

There are just some things that you don't do.

Screwing over another sister is one of them.