Recently someone stood up at one of our events and said, G: If you could give women one piece of advice, what would it be?
And I said: Sister each other, because Sistering is the best part of life.
Then I described what Sistering is, what it looks like and feels like.
And my brilliant, generous friends at SALT asked me to repeat what I said: so that every single one of you could hear it. Because you are the most Sistering sisters in all the land.
And they made this, which made me laugh and cry and shout: YES! THAT’S IT! THAT’S EVERYTHING!!!!!!
Please take a moment to watch. You won’t be sorry.
This is what I want for 2016. More Sistering. All Sistering, all the time.
**Boys can (and should) sister each other, too! Everybody’s in, baby!
The Best Part of Life by Glennon Doyle Melton from SALT Project on Vimeo.
SALT is an Emmy Award-winning production company dedicated to the art of visual storytelling. And, not only do they make beautiful short films for me, they also make amazing, progressive film resources for churches around the country (WINK, WINK, NUDGE, NUDGE, ALL YOU CHURCH PEOPLE OUT THERE!).


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38 Comments
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing!
Dearest Glennon,
Your writing has been a life preserver for me. You have sistered me through, “Carry On, Warrior.” You have awakened me to the present moment. For all of my life, I’ve used books to numb my pain. 25 years! Life can be excruciating–pain from childhood traumas and from special needs parenting and marriage being much harder than my initial calculations. I’ve always lost myself in books–reading on average two to three chapter books per week. I have read purely for the sake of distraction and numbing my pain. Until…. A sweet friend told me to buy your book. Yours is the first one where I take in the words to understand them. It’s my bed time story. No matter what kind of day I have had, your book speaks to my heart. I’ve laughed and cried and pondered your words. It has taken me 5 months to read your book. I’m shocked to write that! Five months….
I have felt so alone, in the darkness of shame, under the covers of “If so and so only knew,” but your honesty gently says, “Come out. It’s okay. Brutiful moments.”
I’ll never be able to fully express my gratitude to you! I am missing out on you coming to your next Ohio events because tickets are sold out, oh the heartbreak, but I can’t wait to hear you speak someday. It will be beautiful! I know it!
Thank you being a truth teller!
I got to see this because the beautiful Liz shared it on her FB page. Oh. So. Grateful. Go SISTERING. Love this. Thank you, x
Omg – one of the best things I’ve ever watched …or learned. Thank you!!
Trying to turn on captions? Is there a version with captions for my hearing impaired mommy friends. Would be amazing to have a version with captions please! As you said, this needs to be heard by ALL!
That is so true! I’d love like to share with friends that are Deaf! Adding captions would help make this amazing story accessible to so many more Mom
So lovely. You always make my day, Glennon.
So beautiful and true, and I’m grateful for all the people who sister me (sisters by heart, as I have no sisters by blood). It would be wonderful, though, if SALT would make another video showing that sisters can be all shapes and sizes and ages, that they (we) can be over 65 and gray haired and wrinkled and have obvious or hidden disabilities. No limits on sistering!
Sister’s are even better than friends.You know they are there even when silent, not demanding a social commitment and stressing you out, but always there when you need. Sister’s tell you the truths a social friend may be afraid to say in fear of being cut out of the social ring. Sister’s come along side and keep you walking straight. Sister ING I like this concept and support!
I need to remember that sistering is not ‘fixing’, but being with and being there for another. Supporting, often silently.
This is great but it honestly makes me kind of sad. I have known that I am a joist that needs sistering and I reach out but sadly I have a hard time finding people to sister to and to be sistered. I am a surviver of hard circumstances and struggle to make friends because I find what happened to me makes people nervous and not know what to say so they run. You don’t have to say anything! Just stand strong for me and stay my friend. Any unique ideas on how to find these sisters? Does monastery happen to have a way to help us connect with other sisters who are touched by these stories? To share our brutiful lives?
Friend me on FB Kathleen
L Braden!
One suggestion is to look for a NIA class. It is a dance/exercise class, but sooo much more! I find that the people that are attracted to NIA are generally the sistering type …. And the class is fun too. Just google NIA and check out their website to find a class near you. Book clubs also tend to be a good source of sisters…. Blessings…
I don’t where you live but I wish I could be your sister. One place that may seem like a risky place to look for sisters, but is actually full of people who are broken and beautiful, who have cracked right down the middle and found that the grace and love of God has meet them there in their weakness, is a Bible believing church. I’ll be praying you find a church full of sisters who know the beauty of the Lord’s redemption and love, and receive you immediately with genuine love and open, sisterly arms. You are loved.
I know exactly. And it’s lonely. IT’s not easy to find honest, available, real sisters.
Thank you for sharing the beauty of sistering. My sister and I are the only ones left in our family. We’ve never been close mostly because of our age difference but also because of a distance of a couple thousand miles.
Tonight, a friend and I were having a deep discussion about just this subject! And she asked me to be her sister. Can you believe it, G?! And I log on to my email to read this and see the beautiful video from SALT! Recently, things have been heavy for my friend and I. Dealing with mortality and the pending passing of a former co-worker and dear friend, as well as serious illness among us. so sistering is in my midst for many reasons.
I told my friend I would be proud to call her sister. After all, we all should support one another through the brutiful walk called life.
I don’t have sisters at home but have found my sisters at work.
Ironically, my husband & I had discussed how we needed to sister our attic joist that make up the garage ceiling, since the ceiling was bowed. Was just one more thing on my “to do” list, which was so long that several days later, irrupted into massive crest of my panic disorder and hospital stay. Thankfully, my soul has had sistering from my spouse and dear friends. Sistering, it really does hold one up, when feeling weak and saggy — and, don’t we all feel that at some point? Thank you Momastery, for making me not feel so freakish about my brutiful world!
So very beautiful!! I was lucky enough to be born between two sisters, and to be part of a profession (teaching) and a hobby (belly dancing) that are both filled with Sisters. I fervently wish for my daughter (who just has a brother) that she’ll find those Sisters too.
THANK YOU for including women who look as colorful and vibrant as we are! It’s nice to see the palette is more than buttoned up white women (who are great in their own right). This is video is a great reminder of our warriorness!
chills!!! this is incredibly awesome!!!
I was the “one Momastery reader” you quoted in your 5/6/14 post about joists and sistering and just now watching the video my mouth was open in awe- the kindness in your voice and the sisters- it’s so beautiful, greater than the sum of all its parts.
I almost didn’t write to you back then- my little insight nugget felt so nerdy and insignificant. I am glad that I made myself contribute a little bit. Thank you for making a place where we all can join in.
Amber
p.s. Seriously, this is the only place an engineer will join a Love Revolution. That stuff usually makes us very uneasy.
p.p.s I can help you with spreadsheets.
Beautiful!!!!
AMBER!!! The ONE! It’s YOU!!!!!
I am so grateful for you. Love plus Science = Art
or something.
AMBER!!!!
Amber!
Your engineer comment made me laugh out loud! I completely agree! Isn’t it wonderful to know we have people who understand even if we haven’t met them yet?! So glad you shared your gifts with us.
Wow, how perfect is this? The best part, just be there… Do not even need the right words. So often we shy away, because we don’t know what to say…just be there. <3
from the construction dictionary…
sistering
Definition
The reinforcement of a structural member by nailing or attaching a stronger piece to a weaker one.
I love your thoughts! And I love that you’ve teamed up with SALT! You guys create beautiful things together! Thank you!
I lost my sister four years ago, but my Sisters held me up, then and now. We all need each other. Crying but thankful.
G, checking in to see if you and your fam are down w you being write in candidate for president? I want to live in your world, and w your support-base I bet you could take the whole darn thing! Thank you for loving and teaching love. GLENNON IN 2016! ✨
Shared on Facebook. Thank you for putting in words and pictures what our foresisters of the 70s tried so hard to teach us. We have come so far and yet, being sistered is still thought of as a radical concept in our world today. We are strong but even stronger when we join hands and walk together.
Be a joist, man or woman, sister or brother! #lovewins
Loved the video, G. This is the lesson every girl needs to learn, early on in her life.
Loved the video and the reminder!
Yes. Just. This. Sistering…….
Tears! Darn it, Glennon, Every post I end up with tears. BTW, so excited to get to see you in KC next month!!
Sistering – what a great term. There is nothing quite like spreading love and support to everyone you meet!
Thanks G for the reminder.
xo -T