a big sister

There are few things on this earth that I cherish more than my relationship with my big sister. We have such a wonderful bond and I'm truly grateful for the role that she has played in my life.
Among the Kuyasa Kids, the word sister (sisi) flies fast and furious, and is used in reference to any of the girls. My name is SisKatie, it's a sign of respect that the kids show me. And while I often forget the Sis before their names, they never forget to call me sister.

I was thinking about how many sister's I've actually gained in this process. While none will ever be able to replace or fill the role of my own sister - growing up I always longed to be a big sister. I like to think it's because my sister was so good at it, that I wanted to pass on all that I had learned along the way.

This idea of sisterhood really hit home the other night. Cindy and I were staying with two of the youngest girls in the group, Koko (10) and Kholisa (12). It was our second night with our host family and Cindy had gone to bed about 20 minutes before the rest of us. Cindy and I were each blessed to have our own queen size beds and our own rooms, an arrangement that is certainly not common on tour. The two girls were together on a queen air mattress in another room. Once I turned out the light in my room and settled into bed I heard a small knock. The two little ones opened the door and uttered, "SisKatie, we're scared".

There was a time when I was younger, that I would creep out of bed and down the hall to my sister's room. I would open the door slowly and say, "Kari, can I sleep in your bed?" The response always came consistently and with almost no complaint, "get in".

As I looked at these two new young sisters of mine - the words formed without hesitation, "get in". In a flash both little ones had jumped over me and began to scurry under the covers.

So this is what it looks like to be a big sister.