Fam(ily)

This week is to pay gratitude to a singular family member. If you have been keeping track of my gratitude challenge you would have noticed last weeks was about family and I pretty much paid gratitude to all my family; both by blood and by choice.

To pick a singular member was pretty difficult but I went with who came to mind straight away and that was my darling sister, Maddie.

Now where to start… my only sister who comes from the same mum and dad. She is only a short 697 days younger than me and as mum likes to call us- her winter babies. I was there from day dot and would call you base when your name was still being decided. Why Base? Well it translates to baby sister. Born as a Dominque but late renamed to what she is today.

Like all siblings we had our ups and we had our downs but growing up with you is irreplaceable. We may not see eye to eye then but as adults, I believe we are more alike then ever and that may have always been the case. Funny when you become an adult you start to see a lot of things differently.

I hate that you live far away, but I am proud of how much you have changed and grown over the last 2 years. I love how resilient you are, how you never back down from a challenge especially when I know how much it tears you apart and I especially love how you put everyone before you. I know there are days that you crack and will shut down but you pull yourself out of that zone fiercer, more passionate and determined.

The last year for me has been the toughest year yet! Adulating sucks- you have rent & bills to pay, you need to juggle work with your social life and you somehow you have to keep your sanity but what I can say is that you have been a rock for me, even with 866kms between us. You may see it as payback for when I supported you in the past but I don’t as you are my sister & you are my friend and I would do anything to support you! I do owe you mega and grateful for everything you have done and consistently do.

It is funny, you think being the eldest I would be the brave scary one but in actual fact you are! Don’t think this as a bad thing, if it wasn’t for you, I would probably be scared my whole life but you showed me what it was like to live from when we were little to now. Yes there were times you were scared, like when we used to jump out the window onto the trampoline while mum was asleep. At first you were scared but when I showed you that you can do it and how to sneak back in you would be begging me every time mum had her afternoon snooze.

We had matching Barbie dresses that at one point I think lived in. We lived in the most imaginative world were everything and anything was possible. We would come up with the weirdest games but they stuck glue and would play consistently, however you are VERY competitive and would end in use fighting!

If something went wrong and knew one of us would get in trouble we would take the blame for each other but there were times where I did plant things in your room that would get you into trouble and look I am sorry- if you’re room wasn’t always a mess I probably wouldn’t have gotten away with it!

Is your room a mess now? HELL NO! You have become cleaner than me and that is saying something! You are so on top of life, in my eyes at least, that you still maintain work, a clean household, a loving boyfriend and adorable dog while making the most of your life by going out to gigs and gatherings!

I love that you call me out of the blue or tag me in a loving quote or funny meme- this makes me feel that you are closer than what you actually are. I love our stories and I know there is nothing I can hide from you and vice versa.

No you were not born in a footy field and no you were not adopted (haha) and if you were my love for you wouldn’t change!