when did she grow up!!

as  i disconnect the phone - i suddenly think -damn when did she grow up!! this was my kid sister who today was telling me how best to solve the current family crisis we are dealing with..no not telling but advising....and i could not but help think..what a long way we have come...
 She was /is the youngest - the third born..after my brother and me...along came she....my Mom always said she was quite a 'sickly' child ..almost died twice as a baby ...but i guess she knew she was meant to do a lot in life and in her own stubborn way she chose to live....
as a child she was sweet and patient....oh so so patient...always played the underdog in all the role play games that my brother invented....patiently took the whacks and the karate chops that my bro threw at her...as she grew up she was everyone's favourite ...she knew how to connect with kids and at the same time was the pet of all the 'uncles' and 'aunties'..the 'mamas' and 'mamis'..quite unlike the two of us - my bro who was never around and me - well i was around but made it abundantly clear that i preferred a book to people....
as i sat through yet another traffic jam in mumbai i looked back - random flashbacks -childhood memories of plucking imli and running off before the watchman caught us,'picnics' under the big banyan tree in the golf course,visits to pind,learning how to cycle and then ride mom's moped,best friends in one moment and fighting ,scratching and hitting each other in the next ...laughing inanely at something that wasnt funny and hot  scalding tears at the loss of a pet .... 
And then we grew up..different schools ,different colleges,jobs,cities,marriage,relationship,divorce,break up ... marriage,kids,jobs the never ending circle of life.....and through it all she grew from strength to strength,handling every thing that life threw at her with a quiet grace and then as our family scattered and went in different ways she became the one that holds it together...i dont think anyone asked her to do it but somehow everyone just gravitated towards her ..... while i have allowed my brothers antics to get to me and turned away she still holds on - she asserts herself , no longer takes his verbal chops quietly  yet does not let that connection break. Today when my mom needs to talk and have a heart to heart she reaches out to her and so do i .and the other day when i wanted to rant about my bro and also find a solution to break the latest impasse in the family it was her again - and without even saying it i just knew that she would handle it .as i disconnected the  phone the thought flashed through my mind - when the hell did she grow up ??? to become this wonderful warm and strong woman - who in between managing her job,two kids and a husband is also the pilllar that holds our shaky family together !!
it would be elementary guessing for anyone who visits this blog to know that i am not the greatest or most prolific bloggers but this piece just had to be written ....and all i can say is this - sis whatever it is that saved you from that double pnuemonia attack as a child , i am so glad that it did ... cos if it wasnt for u we would not be the family we are today - and i guess i dont say it enough....but i am so proud and happy and secretly also relieved to have you around cos left to bro and me we would not be a family today !!i just hope that every family has one of you to hold them together.......