In honor of National Siblings Day, here are stories about hermanas.

Standing on Her Shoulders

I’ve always been small. As a child, I was the smallest of all my cousins. We used to go to my cousin’s house in the suburbs of Miami so that we could go swimming. While my cousins would dive into the deep end of the pool, I couldn’t even stand in the shallow end. My sister Diana would pick me up and put me on her shoulders. Together, we’d walk as far into the deep end as her legs would take us. As her head submerged under water, she would shout out at me, “extend the lips!” And so I would purse my lips as much as possible, hoping that the extra millimeters would get us that much deeper into the pool. Diana has always carried me, allowed me to thrive. Who knows where I would be without her.

-Benito Sisters

Not Alone

My parents always said I was going to be an only child. My birth was such a complicated one that they decided they didn’t want to go through that again and risk more complications with another baby. However, I had other plans. From the time I could remember, probably around three, I was always asking for a sister. I would cry every time I had to leave my cousins’ houses because I didn’t want to go home and have no one to play with or go on “adventures” with. My parents reconsidered and right before I turned five, my sister Sylvia was born, perfectly healthy! I don’t know where my life would be if it wasn’t for her. She is my best friend, biggest champion, and the most influential motivator in everything I do! She truly keeps me sane. We’ve been going on adventures since day one and she has made my life so much richer! The distance and the quarantine are difficult for us right now, but I know we will reunite in person soon and in the meantime, we’ll celebrate sibling’s day with some virtual fun!

-Ramirez Sisters


She Was There

My sister and I are 4 ½ years apart but every Christmas we would get matching sweaters or matching pajamas. As we grew older, our styles evolved but there were always the eternal fights over who grabbed whose jeans and who stole whose tops. The screaming matches over why someone ruined someone else’s sneakers or stained a dress were intense and frequent. But that passion has also translated into a close unbreakable bond. When I moved across the country for graduate school, my sister moved with me not knowing what her own fate would be when she arrived in Los Angeles. When we arrived on the West Coast, she was there, helping me figure out how to navigate a new university. When I got married, my sister was there as my maid of honor taking care of all the details and planning surprises behind my back. When I moved apartments, my sister was there, helping me pack all the boxes and driving well into the night to make sure we were all set up in our new home.
I know that my sister will always have my back. She will also always have my black jacket that I saw her wearing on her Instagram post last week…

-Maldonado Sisters
Partner In Crime


Sisters are this very strange thing. They buy you ice cream when you’re down, soup when you’re sick, and roast you in the family group chat for a good time. They can fit any and all roles from best friend to pseudo parent, person-who-knows-everything-about-you-in-not-a-weird-way, the family snitch, and you’re best confidant. For me, it’s like I was born into a world with a built-in companion that fits all of the above. From sharing a room for 15 years, to being stuffed into a backseat for 18-hour road trips and then cross-country road trips, to then moving across the country together, and later introducing me to Tik Tok, I think I can safely say that my sister is my life-long partner in crime and a soulmate of sorts. I know I can call her anytime I’m bored, need reassurance, need to put someone on blast, or if I’m simply in need of sharing a good meme. I definitely got lucky with this one.

-Maldonado Sisters


Driving to Portland

During this time in quarantine, one thing is for sure. I’m driving my little sister up the wall! You might be asking yourself, “Wait, isn’t it usually that the younger siblings drive the older ones crazy?” Not in this family. I have courageously taken on the challenge of being the one who annoys her sister on a daily basis. It’s a tough job, so I gotta get creative with how I produce my mischief. Although my sister might not approve of how much I peeve her out of love, we are both so appreciative of the time we get to spend together. In May 2017 my sister turned 16. To make sure she would remember her Sweet 16 for years to come, I planned a day trip to Portland. The drive takes about 5 hours, one way. We didn’t mind, we love adventures and spontaneity. We woke up at 4 in the morning and left. Our glamorous selves stopped at The Oregon Tulip Festival in Woodburn Oregon. The colorful fields along with my awesome iPhone picture taking skills made a great photo session for celebrating my sister. Once we got to Portland, we went straight to the world-famous “Powell’s Books” for my sister to search for all the books she wanted to gather knowledge from. We took our Cinco de Mayo lunch at the Portland waterfront, and checked out the Mexican folkloric performances for the day’s \celebrations. After a day of jokes, adventures, food, fries, performances, and flower photo sessions, we got back around 10pm. I made a 5 minute pit stop at Walmart to buy a small cake and candles. When we finally got home, I opened up the cake box, added the candles and sang my little sister happy birthday. Having a little sister is awesome, but having such a great friendship and bond with her is even better.

-Aldrade Sisters


There With Me

I love my sister more than anyone in this world. She’s the only one who has been there with me – not for me – but with me, from the beginning. As siblings, we share a long history. At times it was fun; at times it was hard. But we shared it. We walked through it together, hand in hand. And although our lives will continue down different paths, we’ll continue to face life together. My sister is 100% real with me, for no other reason other than she cares about me. I don’t always love her brutal honesty, but I respect it. I hold nothing but admiration for her integrity, her strength, her courage, and her fierce, fierce heart. The greatest compliment in the world would be for you to tell me that I remind you of my sister. She inspires me every day to stay true to myself, to honor my emotions, and to not compromise my values. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have as a sister.

-Vidal Sisters


Coming Out Can Be Easy

During a family trip to the Bahamas in 2002, I decided to come out to her. to my sister Griselda. Even though there was the fear that comes to any queer kid when thinking of coming out to their family, I finally told my sister and her response was beyond what I expected. She was supportive and looked beyond the news, which she said she suspected throughout the years, and more than anything validated my truth since that moment. She was the first person I came out, and has been the most supportive when it comes to my sexuality. Since that moment she has been my BFF.

-Aldrete Sisters


By My Side… in the Bathroom

I was four. Mariah was two. We slept in a bunk bed directly across the hall from the bathroom. Every night, I would wake and need to use the bathroom. Those 4 and a half feet from our bedroom door to the bathroom were dark and terrifying. I would cry, holding my bladder as long as I could, but knowing that defeat was inevitable. I wouldn’t be able to make it to the bathroom, not alone. My sister, two years younger than myself, would bravely rise from her slumber, take my hand, and lead me across that vast and monster-filled hallway. She would wait, sleepy-eyed, while I did my business, and then she would walk me back to bed. My sister has always been there for me, and she has been there for our younger sister. Mariah protected her from punishment when someone didn’t do their chores just right. And she continues to take care of us, even as adults. To my sisters, who are always by my side.

-Ewing Sisters