Sisters are knit from the same invisible material... Not just in their intricate, biological DNA; but in their deep, spiritual substance as well...
I am so thankful for my sisters!! Throughout my life, they have both been exceptional role models and dear friends. Being born while they were already in their teenage years had the benefit that I never really had the physical catfights with them that a lot of sisters have when they grow up together. Nope... I was like the spoiled brat baby that everyone pampered :) As close as all three of us have become, I have a unique relationship with each individual. Today, I will rave about Monica Raquel.
Aaaaah! Monica is as beautiful and as sophisticated as her name... Even more than that, she is a shining star. When my mom had me, Monica was barely 16, and she felt the need to help mom carry the responsibility of child rearing immediately, without anyone having to ask her. She was beyond my sister... She was my babysitter, my playmate, and I would say, my first friend. She would pick me up from and drop me off at school. She would take me on walks and we would bond as much as a little child and a blossoming young lady could. Being the eldest, Monica was my mother's helper and was always very sensitive to mom's hardships as a single parent. But that is just her nature... She always wants to lighten people's loads and, sometimes even to the point of her own personal detriment, she is willing to sacrifice her own wants and needs for those of others. Monica always helped mom by giving her her checks when she started working her first jobs and even after she got married. When mom suffered, Monica suffered; when she laughed, Monica laughed. This is not a sob story! LOL! There was and is plenty of joy, laughter and good times in our family, much much more than bad. My point is that Monica has a heart of gold, compassionate and giving.
It doesn't stop there! Monica is just as wonderful on the outside as on the inside. She has always been so gorgeous with her blond hair and green eyes, her perfectly pointed nose and ballerina figure. She took years of ballet, tap, and Flamenco; and when she would dance in front of me with her pretty dresses on, my soul would light up. Perhaps witnessing her talent was one of the first things that triggered a love for the arts in me. She had an oh so sweet, angelic singing voice and I wanted to sing like her. She loved Shakespeare and would recite Hamlet, Macbeth, and of course, Romeo and Juliet on regular basis. Haha! She even taught my nephew, her first son, some of the playwright's most famous lines, and the little tot would walk around somberly inquiring, "To be or not to be?.. That is the question. Whether it is nobler...." and on and on the articulated toddler would go. Monica has so many skills and talents, too many to list here!! She even paints magnificently! And, if you ever see her house, it's ridiculous how tastefully furnished and decorated it is, you'd think she hired an interior designer, but no... It's all her!
When I was 11, my mom and I moved to Florida. Monica was still in her early marriage years and had just had her baby boy. Although age and distance now separated us, my sisters were always routing for me, proud of my grades and accomplishments in school, and always a part of all my quintessential moments. Monica would write me cute, humorous letters that would have me laughing on the floor. I never wrote back because I was just a lazy kid about that sort of thing then; but I have kept those letters, and they were always special to me because they meant she hadn't forgotten about me even though she was busy making a family of her own. When I finally graduated high school, I went to live at Monica's house in Virginia for two years while I tried to "figure things out." It was like getting to know each other all over again. She wanted so badly to know everything about me, and I was a hot-headed teen that didn't know anything about life, but thought I knew it all! Ha! You know how that goes! My time there definitely did bring us closer now that I was older, and we could talk about the "birds and the bees," a subject I couldn't comprehend when I was the little girl she was helping to raise. Since then, I have lived other places, but our relationship has continued to grow. I admire her in so many ways, not just as a sister, but as an amazing woman, a faithful wife, a phenomenal mother, and a trusted friend. I have learned so much from her, from her devotion to God and her family, from her steadfastness in times of trial, and from her wisdom and hospitality. She has opened the doors of her house to so many people and showered them with attentions. She's like the energizer bunny, she keeps going and going, giving and giving! I can always share my heart with her and my concerns, and I know she will always love me. I don't ever have to be afraid of messing up around her. I will never forget the many times that, right before leaving to go to my gate at the airport, she has inconspicuously slipped a 100 dollar bill in my hand without me ever asking her for it; and as the tears rolled down my face in humbled gratitude and relief, she would smile and say "I love you and miss you." Nor will I cease to remember the facebook comments she has posted on my wall when I needed it most, encouraging me to keep dreaming and assuring me the day will come when I see those dreams realized.
Monica, you inspire me and I am forever grateful and blessed that you are my sister and you are in my life. For all you do and have done for me and our family, and for being the only person in the world like you, I thank and appreciate you. I love you Mini. XOXO
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