If ever you question the definition of a true Beloved Sister—in the Janely “let’s write affectionately newsy letters!” sense—I’d like to offer up a jumping-off point. Beloved Sisters are those people who, when you move far away, are gracious and encouraging and stay on Skype with you for hours at a time so that you feel as if you’re in their living rooms. And then when you move back home, they embrace you and offer you places on their couches just because, and spend hours in coffee shops with you, doing whatever needs doing (or not). And then when you move away again, they just tell you it’s because you’re doing something great in the pursuit of a spectacular life, and quietly hook up the webcam again. And when you move back home a second time, they don’t say anything at all except “You’re back! When can we have baked goods and conversation?” and offer hugs.
It’s true: the Beloved Sisters of Austenacious are reunited once more, not by miles of cable and the affection of our hearts, but by the (latest) homecoming of perhaps our cagiest member (I can say that). And so I’d like to remind you all, Austen Nation, to find your Beloved Sisters and give them a hug at your earliest convenience: they are, after all, the best.
Or you could make a silly video to celebrate your friendship and the nearby presence of the greatest low-budget baseball team of all time, as Miss Osborne has so thoughtfully done. (Action Jane: “Go A’s!”) You know, whatever works.
austenacious 