That makes it sound terribly dramatic doesn’t it? Like she might be off to New Zealand or something, never to be seen again.
She’s not, she’s only going to Ireland, but that is a whole other country, and it will be the farthest away she has ever been from me. I know it’s not technically that far, but at the moment she lives 20 minutes away, and you can’t very easily just go to Ireland for tea can you?
Needless to say, I will miss her very much.
There is something very special about a sibling. You share a complete history, from a very similar perspective, and it gives you a unique bond that you can never really have with anyone else. Nobody else will ever appreciate the fun in a game of ‘Estate Agents’ quite like she will. I also rely on her completely for all of my childhood memories, partly because my memory is terrible, but also because she is the night owl, and I was always in bed before all of the exciting things happened.
Our childhood had its ups and downs, with plenty of house moves, changes of schools, and a smattering of divorce, but throughout everything, I have known that I can rely on my sister 100%, in any situation. She is a constant for me in a life that hasn’t had all that many of them.
Last year when I went through a bit of a dodgy period, fuelled by overwork, a break up, and a house move, she was there for me all the time. When I woke up in the morning and didn’t know how to be on my own, she was endlessly patient when I turned up on her doorstep and just sort of followed her around, crying a bit and generally being pathetic. I felt bad about it, and worried that she might get fed up with me, but she promised that I could cry every day for the rest of our lives and she never would.
Part of the sadness of her moving away is less about missing her, and more the worry of missing her. Will I be OK without her just down the road? What if I get scared or lonely or bored and she’s not there?
And then I tell myself not to be silly, because however far away she is, I know she will always be there.
Your last sentence is bang on!
I Live 180 miles away from my parents / other family in multiple directions. It’s never been an issue for because I have always thought how you have in that last sentence, that just because someone isn’t around the corner doesn’t mean they have vanished for good.
Aaaww this is lovely , when I first moved away from my sister I felt like a big abandoner , but as you say they’re always there regardless of distance!
Aw that’s such a lovely post! I hope my girls feel this way about each other. Good luck to you BOTH. X
I haven’t lived within 250 miles of mine for 15 years, and we’re closer than ever. In fact, I think spending extended time with her like weekends and holidays brings us closer still. I’m sure you’ll feel the same soon.
As someone who is Irish (well half) I’d say try and think of the jaunts and crack over there to see her. Really lovely post!
I was the same when my parents emigrated to Spain 10 years ago. They used to live 15 minutes drive from me and I could pop in whenever I wanted. I still miss them terribly, even more since I had my son, but we Skype every week which helps.
Oh this is such a lovely post. I really hope my kids are close when they are older regardless of how near/far they live.
I love this. Sisters are just the best. There’s something so special about the bond between siblings – you can’t replicate it and I’m pretty sure something like the silly Irish Sea won’t get in the way of it!
Ah definitely and it will be nice to go for visits too! Plus I always think that when you live in different countries you get a lot more quality time together too as you need to see each other for longer periods of time, I mean obviously this totally depends on how much you spent with them in the first place but if I moved to America I would probably see more of my dad, brother and sister than I do now! x
Is she as fat as you? You’re massive.
It’s so good to hear that you are close in terms of friendship but that bond really will not change even if she is living in another country
Laura x