Rare Ordinary Thoughts

I call her Yaya. People would think she isn’t my sister because Yaya is a Filipino term used by kids to call their nanny or housemaid. I call her such, or rather, she taught me to call her such for a very special reason. She was the one who took care of me when I was little and when our parents would leave us at home for work. I didn’t realize such term would depict a very special bonding for the two of us. We were a lot in the family, 8 siblings and we have only one brother. She is the 5th, I am the 8th and she calls me “gang” [an andearment term for 'precious'] like how most of my older sibs do. We were very close to each other when we were growing up but Yaya and I are the closest. We’ve crossed rivers together, climbed mountains hand in hand, and literally solved problems together. She has provided me with so many things that none of my other sisters could outdo. Everybody knows that I am her most loved sister and nobody could take that away from her. Our times spent in this world have had a lot of happiness and toils and we shared our success and frustrations together. Now that we have our different lives and she has achieved so much already which I know I will never be able to attain the same way she did, all I can say is… I am always and forever grateful that she never lost her trust in me. For her, what is hers is mine and I am aware that that alone is a thing that’s so hard to find among siblings. She is the kindest and the most generous person next to our late father and I never took advantage of her like many did and I never will. I am sure everybody in the family is grateful for her presence in our lives and I am no different. I love her so much and she knows that.

It’s been a year since we last reunite with each other and trust me, when we talk on the phone, an hour isn’t enough! Hehe… I am so looking forward when she and her family can come over to visit us this December and spend the New Year with us. Awww! I can’t wait!