Flat Tired

I know that my girls love each other, but there are definitely times when I question the depths of their sisterly devotion. Well, I don't really question Savanna's because she is Savanna and she loves and hugs the crud out of everyone. Julia, on the other hand, isn't often outwardly affectionate with others so I do wonder sometimes how she really feels towards her sisters.

Yesterday, in a sweet and unexpected showing of emotion on Julia's part, my fears were laid to rest for a time.

With our cooler temperatures, the girls have been riding their bikes to and from school. Yesterday after school, Julia went ahead of Savanna and got home before her, but was expecting her to show up at any moment. After spending a couple of minutes putting her things away, she started to get worried when Savanna still wasn't home. She came upstairs and told me that she was worried because Vanna wasn't home yet, and I ran down and got in the car to head to the school to see if I could find her. In a sad and anxious voice, Julia told me to call her and let her know as soon as I found Savanna because she was so worried about her.

I got to the corner of the main road (which is just around the corner from our house) and saw Savanna immediately. She was walking her bike with a flat tire towards me and crying openly. She told me that her bike was riding funny and when she got off to inspect it, she realized the tire was flat. By this time Julia had already ridden past her and had assumed that Savanna would catch up at any moment. Instead, the poor little chickie got stuck walking her bike all the way home by herself and J never looked back to check that she was coming.

Just as I was trying to comfort Savanna and figure out the logistics of getting her and her bike into the car for the 10 second ride back home, I heard a desperate cry coming from the front of our house: "Savanna! Savanna, where are you??" Julia was calling out with such genuine concern that it pricked my heart.

As we pulled into the garage, Julia came running to Savanna, apologizing, telling her that she didn't know that she had stopped, and how scared and sad she was when she didn't know what had happened to her. Savanna, as per usual, bore her no ill will and all was forgiven immediately. We made a new rule that the girls need to be sure they stay together for the whole ride home so that something like this doesn't happen again. We were all a little shaken up and feeling very grateful for our story's happy ending.

The other happy part, of course, is knowing that Julia does have it in her to be the caring and concerned older sister that I want her to be, though she doesn't always show it.

Now, if I could just get her to do it just a little more often...