A librarian and her sister…

Hi everyone, as promised this personal post will give the goss on all things relating to my sister and the relationship I have with her. My sister’s name is Sashini or Sash for short, and she’s six years younger than me. What she and I have in common… Well, if you want to find out more you’ll have to press the button and venture below…

Our childhood in Zambia is one that we reminisce about fondly. Despite our six-year age gap, we spent two years in the local primary school and even had the same unforgettable first-grade teacher. Can you believe that even after all these years we still remember how horrible she was? I have fleeting memories of that cherubic little baby who grew quickly to a mildly annoying toddler. Yes, I know it’s not flattering, but once her baby fat disappeared and she became more vocal, Sash was the silliest little girl you could imagine. When we reached Sri Lanka we were placed in two different international schools but fate stepped in and for one year all three of us, my brother included, ended up going to the same school yet again. I suppose it was in those years that we learned how to traverse those first few bumps in our fledgling relationship. Commuting to school in the city took a hefty chunk of our week and left only odd weekends to pursue other things. I’d like to think that it didn’t take too much as we ended up really enjoying our holidays with extended family and just together as a family. We enjoyed dancing along to the Bollywood movies we watched, making up stories in the dark, and at times just enjoyed being together. Once we migrated to New Zealand and I started university our lives changed drastically. Here we were in a new country, trying our best to adapt to a new environment while staying true to our culture and heritage. It wasn’t easy building my relationship with Sash but over those first few years; the traditional dance classes we took together and our mutual love for music helped us strengthen our sisterly bonds. As my sister got taller she and I even began sharing clothes and shoes. We have similar sizes even to this day. When it comes to our reading tastes, well, that’s where we differ. Sash enjoyed a combination of teen dramas and romances growing up and I preferred Sci-Fi reads. These days, well, I believe we’ve both changed our reading preferences!!

I can honestly tell you that even though it sounds like we had a great relationship, it wasn’t without hiccups. We have had arguments and fights, even as adults we’ve managed some epic ones. Despite these tribulations my sister became my best friend and my sounding board of sorts. I can always count on her for advice and honest feedback. My sister has always been known to give her honest opinion and vice versa. I distinctly remember as a twelve-year-old she came up to me and asked about clarifying her understanding of the “birds and the bees” talk she’d been exposed to at school!! As a nineteen-year-old, I think I hemmed and hummed a bit before getting the encyclopedia out as this was just before the internet was accessible to us. Yes, we’re both that old!! It was after my sister suggested I try library science, that I volunteered at a local school library and the rest is history!! You could say she was the driving factor in the career I ended up with. If she hadn’t given me a nudge in pursuing something that I only dreamed about, then I wouldn’t have had the courage to become half the person I am today.

My sister always claimed that I am one of the strongest people that she knows, but in reality it was her strength that I channeled. Her strength and courage, determination and perseverance have no bounds. I’m so proud of the excellence that she has achieved in her field. Through her hard work and determination, she and her husband both completed their PhD’s and graduated together almost fifteen years ago from the University of Auckland. These days many other things along with academic fortitude add to what you achieve in life. My sister Sash is someone who has, in my mind, achieved so much more. The spiritual trajectory her life has taken in the last several years, gave her the strength and drive to fulfill her amazing life in England with her young family.  I’m very proud of the mother and leader that she has become. 

When it comes to the other sisters in my life, specifically my sister-in-law along with her sister-in-law and their daughters, I have so much gratitude towards them. These young women are two of the most amazing young women I have known and grown to love over the years since they’ve been in my life. They are not just beautiful on the outside, but they are two of the kindest people on Earth!! It is thanks to their crazy organising skills that they managed to create an amazing village around all of us to enjoy. My two nieces and their cousins may be a handful at times but as they grow up watching their mothers, I’m sure they will be exceptional when they are older!! There are days when you can see how their bond of sisterhood gets tested, but in their own way they’re learning how to navigate the waters of their relationship. It’s so refreshing to see how their relationship evolves every day and how much they mirror their parents. I hope they learn how to use these skills and become the best versions of the sisters they are meant to be and I hope that I get to see at least a little bit of this. 

My relationship with my sister has weathered many storms over the years. With dad’s passing last year all three of us along with my brother felt our connection strengthen I suppose. As the years go by, I hope Sash and I are able to fill up any gaps there may be in our sisterly bonds.  I am truly blessed and grateful for the amazing woman that my sister grew up to be. Sash I hope this post doesn’t make you cry too much!!

Stay safe and keep reading

Miss Mahee