Whew! So it's been a month already since my last post?  How fast indeed time flies!  Christmas 2011 was among the best that we had because all my siblings were home to celebrate the holidays with us.  Times like those are getting more and more rare now considering we are carving our niches in different far apart places  under the sun. So now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, we find ourselves back to the confines of our individual lives.  Apart. Separate. Distant.

When we were younger we hated each other.  Lol. Well, not really.  For the most part, we were each other's bestfriend, confidante, counselor, warrior, cheerleader, accomplice, persecutor, prosecutor, storyteller, baby-sitter, and the list goes on and on.  But at times when we disagreed, we also fought like mad dogs.  And that was when we would wish to get out of the family's enclave. Very few times, but we all remember them.

As grown ups now, we have pursued different paths in life.  We have also discovered/ built our individual sources of happiness.  And yet, there are times we still yearn...crave...long to be together.  The security, confidence, and strength that comes from our togetherness is incomparable.  It's weird.  It's something nobody (not even Mom perhaps or any of our husbands) would ever understand.

My siblings and I have surmounted the deepest depth, the worst worse, and the most painful hurt.  Perhaps that's what sealed our bond.  We know exactly how to raise each other up --- or push each other down.

At this point in time when each of us is still struggling to pursue our dreams, we remain united -- in thoughts, in prayers, in heart.  Yes, we still hurt each other every now and then.  Afterall, we have sort'v mastered the art of being each other's antidote because we are one another's bitter pill.  But our hurts always yield to acceptance, to forgiveness.  And everytime we reconcile, our bond is renewed... Always stronger than it ever was before.

Apart in space, united in spirit.

Our latest family pic taken in Dec. 26, 2011.

With the Wonderful Additions to the Family

Inspirer of my mind, consoler of my heart,

healer of my spirit,

Their presence lift me from earth to heaven,

Their words flow as the sacred river,

Their faith rise as a divine spring,

Their tender feelings awaken sympathy in my heart.

My Family -- Their very being is forgiveness.

The clouds of doubt and fear

are scattered by Their piercing glance.

All ignorance vanishes in Their illuminating presence.

A new hope is born in my heart

by breathing Their peaceful atmosphere.

They are my inspiring Guide through life’s puzzling ways,

in Them I feel abundance of blessing.

(adapted from the Prayer Pir written by Hazrat Inayat Khan)