I am extremely blessed, besides having loving and caring parents, I also have a sister to turn to whether I am happy or in trouble.

Being the eldest child in our family, I was usually the one that had to listen to all the parenting advice and scolding before my sister was old enough to take a stand and fight for our rights. Although our relationship has been through a lot of ups and downs, now that we are both adults, I consider my sister to be one of the most thoughtful and intellgient individuals I know and consider her to be irreplaceable in my life.

Sometimes I travel back in time and remember with nostalgia those occasions that we felt compelled to fight over a doll or a dress, although we both knew that trouble was on its way since we were supposed to wash our hands, clean up  and get ready to sit down at the dinner table.

Without hesitating and by being confident of her abilities and her willingness to experience the world, she was always the one that took the first step in everything we did. She excelled in her chosen field and become a young successful professional winning the Deans award at University. She was the first to get married and buy a house, and still keeps my parents happy with her life’s choices.

The reality is that our relationship has changed significantly over the years. At the beginning it was more or less similar to any other sibling relationship, although we were not jealous of each other, somehow we managed through similar experiences and common life goals to establish a very sincere and open channel of communication.

Maybe it seems too honest at times for me to handle with confidence, but the fact remains that I am grateful to have the opportunity of speaking with my sister whenever I please, to give her my advice when she asks for it and not to be afraid to raise an argument that might not find her in agreement after all she is still my sister.

Having a sister is one of those things in life that I cherish and consider myself extremely fortunate for being able to enjoy it. My sincere wish for both of us is to always be open, understand and respect our differences, learn from each others mistakes, and of course, increase the frequency of our visits to each another. One thing I miss terribly is her face. She is one of those people I know I can laugh with and cry in front of without later feeling embarrassed I did.