In Rememberance of My Sister
"Someone Younger":
Although I never got to know her because she died when I was just a baby, I can honestly say that I've learned quite a bit from my older sister Kestra. I know that it might not seem like she's "someone younger," but she was only seven years old when she passed away, so in my mind she'll always be a child.
I didn't even learn that I'd had an older sister until I was in my mid-30's. Kestra's unexpeced drowning was so traumatic to my mother that she repressed all her memories of Kestra, deleted all of her diary entries, and destroyed everything that could possibly remind her of her loss. My mother even made my father promise to never mention Kestra again. In fact, she had been so successful at hiding the existence of her "precious one" from me that it eventually made her quite ill, which I how I found out about h.
I can't imagine how much I've missed out by not having a sister when I was growing up. Once my mother opened up about Kestra, I learned what a joy she'd been, how happy and giving and intelligent. Through my mother's memories I felt Kestra's unconditional love for me, even though I was only a few months old.
And that, in my opinion, was worth learning.
Although I never got to know her because she died when I was just a baby, I can honestly say that I've learned quite a bit from my older sister Kestra. I know that it might not seem like she's "someone younger," but she was only seven years old when she passed away, so in my mind she'll always be a child.
I didn't even learn that I'd had an older sister until I was in my mid-30's. Kestra's unexpeced drowning was so traumatic to my mother that she repressed all her memories of Kestra, deleted all of her diary entries, and destroyed everything that could possibly remind her of her loss. My mother even made my father promise to never mention Kestra again. In fact, she had been so successful at hiding the existence of her "precious one" from me that it eventually made her quite ill, which I how I found out about h.
I can't imagine how much I've missed out by not having a sister when I was growing up. Once my mother opened up about Kestra, I learned what a joy she'd been, how happy and giving and intelligent. Through my mother's memories I felt Kestra's unconditional love for me, even though I was only a few months old.
And that, in my opinion, was worth learning.