under the same sky

"Whenever me and Kate see each other, it's like our hearts just JUMP out of our bodies and give each other a big hug!" Maryn exclaimed to her mom as they made their way down the winding canyon road.

Her description could not be more perfect!  Kate and her closest cousin, Maryn (born exactly 10 weeks apart mid-winter 6 years ago) are best friends.  Although on the outside, they seem like opposites (one has long hair, one short; one has blue eyes, one brown; one sings low, the other high), in their heart of hearts, they are the same.

Kind of like their moms.

We, too, are different in many ways, but have always shared a part of our hearts, as sisters.  When we watch our girls together, it is like our childhood is being re-lived and witnessed from the outside.  Only, as if we were twins.  We've often wished we were (except during that one rough year in Jr. High, when we were glad that we weren't!)

Sadly, these two (four) hearts live 600 miles apart.

This past weekend, however, hearts reunited in a weekend spent together.  My sis and I joined our third sister (equally heart-linked, but a few years younger) and parents, too, for some together time at the cabin.  My Kate's heart was full with the company of her cousin.  They played and laughed and hugged and giggled.  And, they stayed up late into the night singing and laughing and loving their hearts' connection.

They made up a song: silly and nonsensical, and EXACTLY the thing Kami and I did together when we were young.  They sang it over and over again.  We smiled at their creativity and laughed at their antics.  We reminisced about our own created songs and plays and performances from so long ago.

And, Kami pulled out the guitar and taught the girls a {real} song about hearts that are linked:

Underneath the same sky

Even though you're not close by

It feels just like

We're right beside each other.

Even though we're far apart,

Your friendship fills my heart.

It's so good to know, we're under the same sky.

Tonight, as my kids bedtime-snacked together, Kate started singing the made-up song.  Dallin smiled and said, "Hey, did you make that up?"  Amazingly, he hadn't heard her singing it, even though she and Maryn must have performed it 100 times over two days.  It's because he was busy being with his heart-linked cousin, too, doing whatever it is boys do when they are together under the same roof.  And, the same sky.

xoxoxo to our cousins, far away!