Sisters

A small group of colleagues meet once a month at the college to support each other through their grief. Today I attended and  met a woman who recently lost her identical twin sister.  I will never understand the bond of twins, but the thought of losing my sister brings to mind a different pain from that of losing a child. Equally horrific, but different (So, my sister had better take care of herself!). My two living daughters have suffered the loss of their baby sister. My first-born lost her baby sister, but she was also a second mom to Maura, so the loss is maternal as well as sisterly. The second daughter lost her baby sister and her status as the middle child. She spent a good 20 years wailing about the trials and tribulations of being a middle child, but now that the status has been taken away from her by force, she is at a loss for how to be. Mostly, they just miss Maura. Like me, like my husband, they struggle to create a life that doesn't include a flesh and blood Maura. And, while virtually everyone is sympathetic when one loses a child, we don't accord the same rights and privileges to those who lose a brother or sister.  After only three months, a lot of people expect them to be "over it."  Mourning is much lonelier for them.