We share a common history…my sister, my brother
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6th March 2015We share the same heritage….my sister, my brother..
Shared the same house, school, and the warmth of our parents…my sister, my brother.
I saved you from the bully in the playground those many years ago and you me the fury of the landlady for those three months that I could not pay the rent.
We spent hours into the night sharing our childhood dreams and aspirations in our little hut in the village.
You were the best man in my wedding my brother, as they gave away my sweetheart to me.
Though younger than me…. you excelled in life…. emerged the darling of the family when you put our family name in the stars. I the family Entertainer ..…you the Magdalene serving the guests without notice from the kitchen.
Though more successful than me in the eyes of the world, not once did you despise me or look down on me when my life took a turn for the worse. When my body took a beating from the drugs that I had pumped into my body to rescue me from the misery… you hugged me and held me tight needle pricks and all, my brother.
You had no shame in your gleaming Mercedes driving down the dusty road to the rehabilitation centre to share another sunset with me.
You gave me hope when there was none.
You did not castigate me for the crazy mistakes that I had made.. you still saw the potential in my soul in our similar looking Chinese eyes. Yes, the eyes that we got from Mama’s side.
Though we were ‘twins’ in physical appearance.. .. you took Papa’s introverted nature, I the life of the party from Mama’s side.
When all my friends.. ran off helter and skelter.. you stood by me …my sister.
They say the first born is the pillar of the family.. you defied all odds ..younger than me; took charge and saved our family from despair.
You showed no adult hostility towards me.. though I got the best of everything in our childhood lives.. you the ‘hand me downs’…my sister, my brother.
You will never know.. our last born how your wit and humor helped me pull through the dungeons of despair…in that far flung rehabilitation centre in Asumbi town.
You took the gamble on me and held my hand, walked the walk, talked the talk with me ….my brother.
Today as we lay you to rest..as I look at my life’s story I thank you for:
– Being patient with me, in the good times and bad times.
– Not striving to change me,, but accepting me for my weaknesses and strength.
– Speaking my language.
– Showing me tough love….. setting the limit when you realized I had borrowed and never repaid one too many a dime, being brave enough to tell me that my life needed to change.
Showing me God’s grace from a brother’s heart.
Today, I hold your children’s hands and show them the meaning of what it means to love a sister, a brother until the end of time.
That despite their birth order and the stereotypes that it has bequeathed them, besides society’s and family expectations from them, besides any conflicts that may arise in future, that they will rise above them all and carry own your legacy..cherish their mother until her last grey hair, learn to put their feet down and show the tough love that you showed me, be comfortable in their own skin and celebrate their siblings conquests.
Because the link of a sister or a brother is beyond a lifetime. my sister, my brother.
Rest in Peace, forever Mate, until we meet again.
©
Kwambie Nyambane,
March 2015.
Kwambie Nyambane
Kwambie Nyambane is a Sales Force Effectiveness Manager in a leading bank in Kenya ‘by ', a passionate inspirational blogger 'by night'; and a wellness enthusiast championing healthy lifestyle choices. The founder and lead writer of this blog is a Bsc. Food Science and Post -Harvest Technology graduate of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya, holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Nairobi and is currently pursuing a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Nairobi. Kwambie is a member of Bloggers Association of Kenya. She believes in taking life with a big spoon, seeing the cup always as half full, and enjoying the scenery in this journey called life. Kwambie is mother to one beloved son nicknamed "The Champ";, sister to Marci and beloved auntie to the A & Z girls. She and her family make Nairobi City, Kenya their home. This blog is dedicated to her parents Moraa and Nyambane for their awesome inspiration in her formative years, for being her pillar of strength through life, her siblings Marci and Joash, and to her son "The Champ" and her nieces who represent the generation that came after her. May the nuggets contained in this blog serve many generations, the world over to come.