Oh, Polly, what a great story!
Of my six sisters, one did not speak to me for almost ten years, and never has told me why though we have become both friends and sisters again. Another sister is currently not speaking and hasn't spoken to anyone in the family for almost that long.
I have to share two little stories about my sister who lives within driving distance. I think you all know that my mother and I lived in a mobile home court, in very close proximity, and that I sort of looked out for her. On one occasion a few years ago Mom had gone all ballistic on a neighbor over some small thing. We all had felt the sting of her anger while growing up. My mother was genuinely abusive when we were young, and one of the things I loved and admired about her is the fact that she apologized to each and every one of her 13 children for the abuse. Very few abusive parents or spouses outgrow that behavior and acknowledge that they were in the wrong. She was extremely sensitive to caffeine, and I think that getting away from her decaf caused the above-mentioned explosion. I called Mary and told her about the whole thing, and what I had done to try to patch things up between Mom and the neighbor. Mary said quite frankly, "That's why I'm glad that I'm here and you're down there! We love you and thank you for it."
That year at Christmas she gave me a little plaque, and it reads, "I smile because you're my sister, and I laugh because there's nothing you can do about it!" I treasure that plaque and have it hung where it is the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night. All my sisters have a sense of humor, but Mary really tickles my funny bone!
No matter what crazy things can go wrong with sisterhood, there are always the good things to be thankful for!