Sister Acts
Although Lisa Miller and her sister Carleen Walmsley live in separate states, the two are linked in spirit.
"We used to call ourselves twins that were born seven years apart because I used to pass for her," said Miller of Clay Township, who names her older sister as her closest friend.
"I wanted to be like her."
Miller said although the pair had less in common in early youth, a shared childhood laid the foundation for their lifelong evolving friendship.
"Probably when I was 12 or 13 we got to be really close," said Miller, now 43.
"We shared a room. We shared clothes — a lot of trading off. We've just gotten closer and closer as we've gotten older."
"We've just known each other forever," said Walmsley from her home in Cincinnati.
"We have the same personality, but our family lives are different: She's more the country mouse and I'm more the suburban mouse. That doesn't matter because we have a lot of the same values.
"We call each other for therapy," she added. "She's my therapist and I'm hers."
Andrea Anderson, one of four sisters and a therapist by trade, echoes Walmsley's sentiment, saying a shared background can unify siblings, even those who don't agree.
"You can still have a good relationship with your siblings because you come from the same place and usually have similar experiences growing up," Anderson said.
"You can still support each other even if you don't see eye to eye."
In childhood, Anderson said children develop social skills from sibling interaction. For many, the bonds continue to deepen.
"I'm the oldest of four sisters," said Anderson, 26. "I would say we've always been friends, but we're more like friends than we were before."
"They say it's your longest relationship in life," Miller added.
"There's nothing else that tops it."
Miller, along with Walmsley and Anderson, represent a segment of women who cherish belonging to sisterhood.
Here are profiles on several others.
