Growing up, my brother and I made it very clear whose stuff was whose. Not all siblings are this deliberate. Some share their possessions without qualms, following the old adage that “what is mine is yours.” However, one adult woman might have taken sibling sharing one step too far when she decided to “borrow” her newborn nephew without asking his parents before she hit the road.
Now, aunt Heather Delaney has shared an internet post about how she doesn’t feel she needs to let her sister know if she is taking the baby out of the house. She said, “I don’t wait for my sister to ask before I take her baby.”
The story, which went viral on the Facebook page, Love What Matters, was written as a letter from a big sister to her “dear little sister.” The viral story sparked some controversy online because the aunt was taking the newborn nephew without asking, but most people said the story warmed their hearts.
“I remember the day that Mom and Dad brought you home. Times were different back then. There were no Instagram inspired poses; there were no Pinterest worthy outfits. It was you in a one-piece sleeper, wrapped up in a pink blanket. The sweetest cherub cheeked little baby that I ever did see.
“That day, Little Sister? Well, it was the beginning of living our lives together. And (in the realm of keeping it real), it was also the beginning of hearing the same things over and over (and over) again. ‘Keep an eye out to your little sister.’ ‘She follows you around because she wants to be just like you.’ ‘She’s so lucky to have you as a big sister.’ ‘She’s going to learn so much because she watches everything you do.’ You know. The regular big sister/little sister stuff that any parent says to calm the (estrogen fueled) storm.”
She added, “But through all of the stolen stuffed animals and favorite t-shirts, what I didn’t expect back then (and what I never, ever saw coming) was the way that the tables would turn. For, Little Sister, Back then, I may have been your teacher in life, But now you are mine. You teach me to relax in a world that is measured in the hustle. You can find God in a sunset. And become friends with a stranger in the grocery store line.
“You teach me that happiness is found neither in ranks nor in titles, but rather in sipping on a hot coffee while repotting my favorite plants. You teach me to see people. Like, truly see them. Your day is never too busy to listen to someone’s story or for them to share their heart with you. You love humans so beautifully, especially those with broken wings.
“You teach me not to be impressed by riches nor gold. You smile just as sweetly to the homeless gentlemen sat on the street corner as you do to a gentleman wearing a three-piece suit. People are people to you. No one is more -,, And no one is certainly less. You teach me to slow down; to appreciate; to take it all in.
“I now kinda’ feel, Little Sister, that the life lessons I taught you pale in comparison to what you’ve taught me, for anyone can teach a girl where to place her hands when slow dancing, or how to avoid a foundation line on their cheek. But to have someone teach you how to not only live life but to love life, and thereby leaving this world a better place than you found it? That’s what you’ve been teaching me.
“You may have been the ‘lucky one’ back then, Little Sister, To have a big sister with a room full of makeup, jewelry, and boy band posters. But I’m the lucky one now. I’ll love you forever. And ever. Signed, Your Big Sister”
What’s your reaction to the message from one sister to the other?