A week ago today, I met my sister for the very first time.

These are some pictures for our first 24 hours together (with my older brother). You can see, if you look closely in our first picture from the airport how overwhelmed with emotion I am at her arrival, and in the second how joyful I am that she’s here.

I have been waiting my whole life, in a sense, to be a big sister.

But I’ve waiting intensely for the last 3 months to have my sister with me, given the civil unrest happening in her home country of Burma (Myanmar).

It’s amazing how, while I’ve only known my sister for a very short time (even through e-messages), I absolutely adore her. She is funny and full of life. She loves adventure and has a freedom about her spirit that I struggle to find often. She wants to try everything and she has so much joy in her spirit.

We’ve been able to have a lot of really wonderful conversations in the last week. I’ve been introducing her to new food, places, ideas and helping her to get settled and established here.

She’s helped me to know my dad (corroborating a lot of the stories my brother has told me as I’m the one of us who didn’t really grow up with my father) and about her mom and their life in Yangon. She’s told me about her goals to become an artist/ animator and how these were not dreams that were affirmed and encouraged or really very possible at home for her.

And she’s helped me to realize that I really need to work less (which I knew, but now I’m actually taking steps towards doing) and appreciate my life more.

We’ve explored how life is similar and different here in the states, and things she needs to be aware of to be safe here. Today, we did a joint video call to our dad to wish him a happy Father’s Day. It is the first time in my life that I’ve spoken to my dad on Father’s Day. It was good to see him so happy. It was good to be able to truly feel peace about all of the missed Father’s Day in the past.

I’m so grateful to the community that helped support me as I was waiting for my sister  to arrive. The last week has been life-changing to me in so many ways and it has been a joy to see my sister adjust to our family like she’s always been in our lives. I feel blessed beyond measure and amazed that she’s only been here a week. (See pictures below w/ my little and big)

I am grateful for our shared humanity and love for one another that perhaps is beyond understanding. I am grateful for the perspectives my sister brings to my life. I am grateful for each moment. What a blessing to write this blog on my first week with my younger sister.