Wednesday, I received a video message from my oldest daughter, Wren, via my mom’s phone. The girls had an early dismissal from school due to snow, so they got to spend the afternoon with my mom. “I have exciting news,” she sang into the camera. “My invention is going to the state level!” My face erupted into a grin. For the past few weeks, she has had carefully outlined tasks to complete. Develop an idea. Research the field. Create a porotype. Design a trifold board. Plan and record a video. You can watch her final video here. Wren has always been a creator. What this video highlights is her thoughtfulness and her dedication to her work.
What this video doesn’t show, is her younger sister, Adi. Wren usually set up to work on her project on Saturdays. She’d pull out the next part of her project and get to work, usually checking in with me for thoughts and support. We often ended up sitting at the kitchen table together, huddled over the laptop or fumbling with materials, problem solving together. Whatever task it was, Adi was always lurking on the periphery. Adi isn’t the type of kid to just jump in and try to get involved. She would never want Wren to know she was interested in what she was doing. But I saw her.
When it came time to shoot the video, I spotted Adi in the doorway, scooting to the side whenever she thought someone might notice her. As Wren set up and rehearsed, I perched myself on the kitchen table, with my laptop on my lap, our makeshift teleprompter. As I carefully positioned my phone in my right hand, at just the right angle to get Wren in the shot along with her trifold board, I realized I wouldn’t be able to hit the record button easily. “Adi, can you come help?” I asked. We set up a chair for Adi right next to me, so that she could be the one to hit record and stop at just the right moments. I could tell that being needed for this important job meant a lot to her.
As we went through a few takes of Wren’s video, Adi happily watched and performed her duties. My eyes went to her several times as Wren rattled off her speech. Adi’s eyes glowed with admiration and awe. I knew she was impressed with her sister and what she had accomplished over the last few weeks, even if she would never say it out loud.
Last night, as we congratulated Wren on being able to share her invention at the state level, Adi asked what it all actually meant. As we explained that now Wren’s invention would be judged with other kids from the state of Connecticut, not just our town, her mouth twisted into a grin. “I knew she would win,” she whispered before her voice grew louder and she began to cartwheel through the kitchen. “I knew it!”
Where There Is Joy 
The dialogue brings this home and you really capture her sister’s admiration. Congrats!
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I love the way this post is about Wren, but then really brings Adi from the background to the foreground.
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LOVE THIS! I work with all girls and this is the best! BRAVO, WREN ( and ADI too! – Sisters supporting each other!). I’m going to share Wren’s video with the girls at my school. They are going to love it too! We have a Wonder Studio at our school that I created where the girls go to invent anything they want. Wren you gave us all inspiration! THANK YOU!
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Love this. Thank you. Wren will be so excited too! ❤️
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I knew it! As the youngest sibling … I love this ending and Adi. They have a lifetime of memories to come together. Congrats
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I can clearly picture Adi and love that she played a part. Congrats to Wren. Exciting!
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First, congratulations to Wren. I watched the video, and I am so impressed by her poise, her ingenuity, her knowledge, but mostly by her environmental ethic. I think about medical waste often. It’s a huge problem. Wren helps solve that problem. Second, I love the close sibling bond evident in your post. Honestly, this is one of the best, most uplifting, hopeful things I’ve read in a long time. Bravo!
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Thank you for your kind and thoughtful words. ❤️
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Such a heart-warming sister story! Love that you found a way for Adi to have a role. It clearly meant so much to her to be involved. Sisters cheering each other on is the best.
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The sibling moments that we must cherish forever! Love the way you captured Adi’s reaction to Wren’s honor. Congrats to Wren and kudos to Adi for being such a helper!
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I was surprised and delighted when the focus of this piece turned to Adi. You must be so proud of both daughters. This comes through in your well-written narrative.
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Yay, how exciting, nothing more heartwarming than sisterly love and admiration. Adi expressed so clearly after hanging on the sidelines and not appearing to participate!
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What a role model for Adi. I wish all parents had the means, the desire, the ability, and the aptitude to sit at their kitchen table and work on a project.
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