The Gallery – A Happy Memory

For the first time in three years we were reunited in August 2007 when Dan and I took Charlotte (then 4) and Sophie (18 months) to the UK for a visit. We holidayed in the Lake District and took the girls to London. We laughed so much as we talked of the memories, oh so many happy and fun times, growing up together.

My daughters, like my sister and I, are exactly two and a half year’s apart. We talked, a lot, on the similarities of my oldest daughter’s character to my own, as well as my youngest daughter’s character to my sister.

We cherished every moment we had together and I never wanted it to end. I stayed on longer in the UK, whilst Dan had to fly back to New Zealand and work. She accompanied me on my return flight to New Zealand, via a stop-over in San Francisco, and stopped for a holiday before returning. She experienced the wonderful (and sometimes exhausting!) joy of being an Auntie to her two nieces.

It’s now been four years since we were together. She is now Auntie to three nieces, the youngest she has yet to meet. I tell my daughters many stories about my sister. She is like a character in a book to them. I can’t wait for the next time we are all together, when we can create more special stories to hold forever in our hearts.

It was her Birthday on September 11th. I miss her greatly. I love her dearly. I am so grateful that she is my sister. We are so different and yet so close. If we were not sisters it’s possible our paths would never have met, for such different journeys we’ve walked. We have each learned so much from one other and I know we will continue to enrich each others lives – though sadly we rarely get the chance to be together.

I never planned to be living in New Zealand so long – it was to be a short adventure of youth. Destiny has set me down here and it’s a beautiful place to be, for sure. My children have such a wonderful life. But for me, they’ll always be a piece of my heart yearning for my sister and family. We always were, and are, a very close family. When they send me messages of walks across the National Parks and country-side of the UK I feel a part of me is striding out with them. There is a saying, ‘A family that walks together stays together,’ and though distance parts us, our hearts most definitely beat together.

To my dear sister, and family, I love you so much x

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Linking up with ‘The Gallery’. This week’s theme is ‘A Happy Memory‘