3 Sisters of The Sky - Free Bedtime Book Video to Share

I'm an only child. And a weird one. And as solitary as a stone some days. High up on the spectrum can be lonely. Can be profoundly dark and echoing.

I have had relationships with men - boyfriends, husbands, platonic male friends. But if I look to the lowest places in my life - and it's a stretch nearing 52 years now - my constant is the women in my life who can unfailingly lift me out of that icy well of blackness. My lifelong friends, my Jiminy Crickets, my true mirrors, the sisters I chose.

The title of this article offers you a free children's book video on my channel Youtube.com. "3 Sisters of the Sky" was written in 2020, this year of loss and separation, as tribute to my Pleiades sisters. The book is for sale, but I'm driven to share the message here. That we all share, take our turn, and there is NO NEED to fear the darkness. The darkness is just another part of the day. That lesson is brought home to me again and again by "mah gurls" - my equals or better - the one who remind me that the sun is going to come up again.

I trust them. Trust is a rare commodity with me. I am a survivor of trauma, house fires, floods, assault, neglect, and exclusion. I trust them because they know first-hand of which I speak. They have all lived there themselves at one point or another. They have housed the same love, desperation, sorrow, rage, kindness, and above all resilience. Our crowns are earned and our lives are blessed.

I had been playing with the idea for 2 years. Then this past January, my friend since the mid-80's (also my son's godmother), left this life. Donnette (Net) was golden, radiant, lifted the entire mood of a room just by walking in. She always encouraged me to be a better human. A wise woman who called met "SiStar". We met in a basic theatre class and were cast as sisters in "Crimes of the Heart" along with her real little sister, Bhani (Bun). She was Lennie, Bhani was Babe. And I was the baddie, Meg.

Running lines turned into hanging out by the train tracks at night with pixie sticks and beverages. Subtext became a fantastic game of H.O.R.S.E. where "Lennie" would win nearly every time. Our theatre teachers dubbed us "The Three Sisters" from Chekhov's play.

It was a new thing for me. My dark little heart that found this sort of kinship rare. Net was fiercely protective of her sisters. I was confused at first as to how someone could so unquestioningly be on my side so often. I learned that this is exactly what friends do. They shine a light on you when you can't find your own. She always pushed me to be a better human, leading by example.

As I grew older, I reconnected with three girls I knew in high school. Karen, Pam, and Amanda. We had ALL gotten some living done by then! I was emerging from a divorce. The running joke was that I had been hermetically sealed in a bad marriage for 17 years. All my connections seemed out on a distant horizon, veiled by the gauze of self-doubt, loneliness. And yet, there they were. Ready to offer a listening ear, a helping hand, a shared story of embarrassment or chaos (usually from something one of our children or significant others did).

When my mom passed in 2010, Karen and Amanda helped me organize her memorial service, kept me focused, let me fall apart just enough, talked me through putting the pieces back together.

I needed to tell the story of us. Not our little personal dramas so much, but the story of sisters that are there for each other. Celeste, Soleil, and Selene are magic. They are powerhouses that move on and through and forward. They share, they care for each other. When one is sleeping, the others are making sure the world is right.

I became driven to complete the book. I finished the words and began illustrating. I learned Photoshop. I painted 70+ small elements that came together on each page. I adjusted and readjusted. Got rejected. Resubmitted. I cursed. I ripped stuff up. In the end, I grew. I became what my sisters knew I could be, even if I had zero belief in myself.

So - please watch the video. Share it with your little ones. Let them know that you are there for them. That in the night, we have the moon and stars and animal friends that play in the darkness. We all could use less fear and more connection.

If you would like a printed copy, please visit my website: hollyebgreen.com

With gratitude and love - H.