I have a confession to make… I like to watch Disney Channel, like the current Disney Channel. While I still wouldn't consider the shows on the same level as Kim Possible, That's So Raven, and Phil of the Future, I can totally spend an afternoon chilling with my dog watching shows like K.C. Undercover, Stuck in the Middle, and Girl Meets World. And even though there are a few shows I prefer not to watch (i.e. Jessie and Dog with a Blog), they are pretty enjoyable, and tend to be having stronger messages than some of Disney's other recent programs.

Alright, so you're probably thinking, "This is great Chloe, but what do Disney shows have to do with your relationship with your sister?" And to that, I will say, "Great question! Let me enlighten you…"

One of the shows currently playing on Disney Channel is the program Liv and Maddie. The show stars Dove Cameron as both Liv Rooney and her twin sister Maddie. The show catalogues the ups and downs in their sisterhood and friendship. Throughout the show, Liv and Maddie are faced with various problems, a lot of which arise because they are sisters, but in the end, it is their friendship that pulls them through their conflicts. One of the sayings that the two sisters return to often is that they are “sisters by chance, friends by choice.”

Wow! What a powerful message. Watching this show, I am reminded that often times we cannot choose our parents or our siblings; however, we are endowed with this beautiful ability to choose to love them. I find this saying to be particularly important in my own life. My entire family, my parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, but especially my little sister, are by chance. Call it fate, destiny, or a miracle, I consider it a blessing from God. However, it is through this beautiful happenstance that we are “friends by choice.”

You see, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Both my sister and I were adopted from China when we were about a year old. With nearly four years separating us, we were adopted at different times, from different orphanages, and from different cities. To make this pairing even more miraculous, while I could not find any exact number, I know that tens of thousands of babies were adopted from Chinese orphanages in 2001. So, when I say that my sister and I are sisters by chance, I mean by a very, very small chance. She is literally the one in a million that I was blessed to be a big sister to.

Hopefully you have a better idea of why the saying “sisters by chance, friends by choice” resonates so deeply with me. Just like Liv and Maddie’s friendship is tested with some intense conflicts, my sister and I don’t exactly have a smooth ride on the road of friendship. Nevertheless, despite our numerous arguments, disagreements, and fights, it’s our friendship that gets us through those moments. If we’re being completely honest, it was probably because we are sisters that those problems showed up in the first place!

Ultimately, every day we are given the chance to choose to be each-other’s friend, and some days we don’t choose to be the best of friends, but at the end of the day, I still choose you. I couldn’t ask for a better sister, and even though we don’t share every detail and secret of our lives with each other, I still think of you as one of my closest friends. “Why?” you might ask, well, it’s because I know that I can trust you. We’re family, and that brings us together. But more importantly, we’re friends, and that’s how I know I can always come to you for support. Thanks for being a pretty freaking awesome little sister, and thank you for being an even better friend. So, we may be sisters by chance and friends by choice, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

(And yes, we really are still that cute)