Blessed with many sisters

by Lisa Plorin

“For there is no friend like a sister, in calm or stormy weather; to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands” – by Christina Rossetti, from the poem “Goblin Market” in Goblin Market and Other Poems.

I’m blessed to have two sisters. One lives 30 minutes away and we see each other often. The other lives two states away, and we don’t see each other often enough. The Women of the ELCA has blessed me with many more sisters. Even though we don’t share the same blood line, our bond is as close as if we did. My Women of the ELCA sisters are spread across the United States and beyond.

This past weekend, I spent time with my WELCA sisters in Chicago at our churchwide board meeting. As you can imagine, when sisters get together after being apart for six months, excitement is in the air. Like a wild roller coaster ride, we hugged and laughed, we worked and planned. We brainstormed and trained, worshiped and rejoiced. We listened. We also celebrated and cried. We celebrated the news of an unexpected, yet exciting and welcomed pregnancy. And we cried over the devastating news of the tragic death of a board member’s son.  And like those roller-coaster safety bars that hug your body, we held each other tight and prayed.

A sister is God’s way of telling us that we never have to walk alone. This is why I’m so in love with the Women of the ELCA. We’re family. We’re connected. We’re there for each other no matter what the circumstance and no matter how many miles separate us. And even better, we’re welcoming!

There’s room for more sisters in this wonderful family. Won’t you join us?

Lisa Plorin is a first-term Women of the ELCA executive board member from Upham, N.D.

Photo is of Lisa Plorin, left, and Gwen Edwards, both executive board members and both (apparently) Titans fans. Lisa is a fan of the Towner-Granville-Upham, N.D., Titans.  And Gwen is a fan of the Papillion (Nebraska) Junior High Titans and the Papillion-La Vista South High School Titans.