My Sister, My Best Friend

My sister and me, taken in 2003.

A sister is a forever friend.

~Author Unknown

Sweet is the voice of a sister in the season of sorrow.

~Benjamin Disraeli

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.

~Marion C. Garretty

One of the greatest blessings I have is the love of a sister.

She was born only one and a half years after me, so we practically grew up together.

There are many beautiful memories that I have in my heart about her.

We share the same upbringing, went to the same school, spent twenty five years of our lives together in the same home.

The memories I have in my heart can never really be described. Memories of our early growing up years, childhood adventures, teenage experiences, our Christmases, school days, summer vacations, birthdays, graduations, career life, wedding days, having children of our own...the warmth of our parents' love for us, our journey together as a family.

Later on, the illness of our mother, her death, then many years later, the illness of our father... and his passing away.


Someone once said that "Sisters are different flowers from the same garden."

How true this is. Though we come from the same garden, we are not at all the same.

My sister is more energetic, I am more laid back.

She is a doer, I'm a thinker.

She's practical, I tend to be more emotional.

She is good at multi-tasking, I prefer to do things one at a time.



But underneath these differences, we feel the same way about many things.

We both believe in family, in being willing to sacrifice, to do hard things, and in doing our best as much as possible.

We have seen how our parents gave us the best years of their lives, and we have done the same for our children, equipping them to move on in life by showing them love in action.

The truth is, I have a great admiration for my sister. She has reached great heights in her career. Refusing to settle for second best, she had the guts to try new things, and has tasted success on many fronts.

Though we have lived apart from each other for 31 years already, our hearts have grown closer to each other through the years.

My sister has rejoiced with me in my successes, and has wept with me in my sorrows. She has been a pillar of strength during the difficult seasons of my life.

She always thinks of me and my family, never failing to remember our birthdays, always willing to extend a helping hand. She has been very generous to me. At a time of great need, she has really given me more than what I expected.

She also loves sending me beautiful things from America - things for my home like bedsheets, towels, rugs and mats, special foodstuff, clothes, vitamins, kitchen gadgets, books, stationery, shoes, bath and body things...

When my MP3 player was stolen the year we were in Chiang Mai, she sent me the latest iPod model. When she found out it was very cold in Thailand, she sent us a box of winter clothing.

Oh, I could never really enumerate the kind of things she has given us.

Because I know the bottom line is not the tangible things, what matters more is the love, the kindness, the thoughtfulness.

We have also gone through times of misunderstanding and being hurt and offended...but in the end, love was more powerful, and we have learned to forgive each other, and to move on in our relationship, to the praise and glory of our God.


My sister, you are beautiful! Here are some precious pictures of you and me:

My younger sister and me, together with Mama and Papa.

In Mama's arms!

Always smiling!


Such a tender moment, my sister with Mama.



My sister with Papa on her Kindergarten graduation.



A lovely studio shot.


I was 11 in this picture, and my sister was 10.




My sister and me as young teeners.

In her early 40's, during one of her trips to Germany.

At the peak of her career, at 40.

My sister and me, in Times Square, NY City, in 2003.

A recent picture of my sister, in Chicago.

In her 50's, my sister in Tarrytown.

Today, my dearest sister, as you celebrate another birthday, I just want to let you know that I love you very much, and I appreciate having you as my sister, the only one I have.

You are definitely God's gift to me. I am very proud of you, and grateful to God for having given me a sister like you. Many times, He has used you to be His channel of blessing in my life. There are not enough words to tell you how much you are appreciated for all the generosity and care and kindness you have shown.

May God draw you closer to His heart as you celebrate another year of your life. May God HImself be your reward, and grant You the desires of Your heart, as you hunger and thirst for more of Him.