She is my younger sister… People say second-born syndrome is real and I have definitely have experienced some semblance of it, but one of the many things I am grateful for, is her thoughtfulness (again to make this very targeted).
It’s a shame that I got to really internalize this when I was talking about her over a walk with a friend sometime back.
In exact words, I remember saying…
"I really love how Brenda just goes the extra mile - she is a deeply kind soul behind all that pain and hurt." I really love her. She very much complements my love language because in most instances, she is just the extra I always need to make a full gifting package.
Usually, I am the quality time person, say you need me and I will be there as soon as is humanly possible. I will be there to listen, cry with you, hug you and love you right back to a smile. I am all about emotions - just the touchy feely. What Brenda does is make sure we don't show empty handed haha… There are so many times when I have been moved by her thoughtfulness but two instances vividly come to mind (simply because they are so recent and I have the best memory haha):
…One of her close friends lost her mother one early morning. She was a caregiver too and it pained me too. I wanted to be there and so Brenda suggested we go be with her as her mother was being taken in at the funeral parlor and so we went. But what moved me the most, is a week later, she suggested we visit with her at her home in Limuru and yes was the obvious response. Again in my mind, showing up felt enough because sometimes we offer to others what we think we would crave for had we been in a similar situation… but with Brenda, fruits were bought from the veggie market, dry foodstuff was brought in from the supermarket and I was asked to bake a vanilla pound cake. Honestly, this is something that would seem so small, even obvious to some, but when I looked back on it, I was just moved at how she thought of the add ons and how she made sure everything was set by the day of the visit.
…Brenda is the kind of HUMAN incredibly kind that she would buy a beautiful Bible for her fill in caregiver, have it written and signed off in her name. She cares in the most unexpected ways. I read somewhere that a Bible is a meaningful gift. It's a gift with eternal impact. During our evening devotions she may seem aloof but she reads the room in her own way. She observed this need and fulfilled it how she knew best. Now, my sister is paraplegic (we pray hard that this is a temporary phase of life), but how she mobilizes everything to work is too moving for even the toughest of hearts. She has her own army of friends who act as her feet and arms. A loving team that executes and sees her acts of thoughtfulness through to the very end. I couldn't be more grateful for this either.
One of the love lessons I have learned in my ~27 years of loving her is that pain could sometimes really blur someone's inner kindness. It is with love that we can tear down the façade. It is through a strong unconditional wave of love that we love all the brokenness. Brenda, you have taught me to love. The kind of love that just doesn't give up on those I believe in. The kind of love that music tries to explain but still doesn't fully comprehend.
There are parts of this song I still need to live up to but when I think of my love journey with you, this is the song that sometimes comes to mind. I hope one day you say this of me, and when you do, know that you put it all in me somehow >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W09t7xt9OUE
I am so grateful to be thoughtfully loved by you Bree. Always will be.
It’s a shame that I got to really internalize this when I was talking about her over a walk with a friend sometime back.
In exact words, I remember saying…
"I really love how Brenda just goes the extra mile - she is a deeply kind soul behind all that pain and hurt." I really love her. She very much complements my love language because in most instances, she is just the extra I always need to make a full gifting package.
Usually, I am the quality time person, say you need me and I will be there as soon as is humanly possible. I will be there to listen, cry with you, hug you and love you right back to a smile. I am all about emotions - just the touchy feely. What Brenda does is make sure we don't show empty handed haha… There are so many times when I have been moved by her thoughtfulness but two instances vividly come to mind (simply because they are so recent and I have the best memory haha):
…One of her close friends lost her mother one early morning. She was a caregiver too and it pained me too. I wanted to be there and so Brenda suggested we go be with her as her mother was being taken in at the funeral parlor and so we went. But what moved me the most, is a week later, she suggested we visit with her at her home in Limuru and yes was the obvious response. Again in my mind, showing up felt enough because sometimes we offer to others what we think we would crave for had we been in a similar situation… but with Brenda, fruits were bought from the veggie market, dry foodstuff was brought in from the supermarket and I was asked to bake a vanilla pound cake. Honestly, this is something that would seem so small, even obvious to some, but when I looked back on it, I was just moved at how she thought of the add ons and how she made sure everything was set by the day of the visit.
…Brenda is the kind of HUMAN incredibly kind that she would buy a beautiful Bible for her fill in caregiver, have it written and signed off in her name. She cares in the most unexpected ways. I read somewhere that a Bible is a meaningful gift. It's a gift with eternal impact. During our evening devotions she may seem aloof but she reads the room in her own way. She observed this need and fulfilled it how she knew best. Now, my sister is paraplegic (we pray hard that this is a temporary phase of life), but how she mobilizes everything to work is too moving for even the toughest of hearts. She has her own army of friends who act as her feet and arms. A loving team that executes and sees her acts of thoughtfulness through to the very end. I couldn't be more grateful for this either.
One of the love lessons I have learned in my ~27 years of loving her is that pain could sometimes really blur someone's inner kindness. It is with love that we can tear down the façade. It is through a strong unconditional wave of love that we love all the brokenness. Brenda, you have taught me to love. The kind of love that just doesn't give up on those I believe in. The kind of love that music tries to explain but still doesn't fully comprehend.
There are parts of this song I still need to live up to but when I think of my love journey with you, this is the song that sometimes comes to mind. I hope one day you say this of me, and when you do, know that you put it all in me somehow >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W09t7xt9OUE
I am so grateful to be thoughtfully loved by you Bree. Always will be.