To my cousins...

I went to my really good friend's sister's wedding on Saturday night. Masha'allah the bride looked incredibly gorgeous, and the wedding and all the festivities went along great. Everyone was dressed so beautiful in their saris and suits. I had a lot of fun, but when the bride's cousin made a speech for her, I got so teary eyed, especially when her voice started breaking and you could here her sadness and happiness for her cousin, at the same time. I felt like I was losing my own sister then and there.

Her speech got me thinking of my own cousins and how soon, they are going to get married and leave our close knit family to start one of their own. I don't even want to think about myself getting married and leaving, I still think I'm too young, even though my cousin's are not that much older then me. I just started thinking what would I say, how everything as I know it would be so different. Us cousins are so close, I don't have a blood sister of my own, but I look at my cousins as my own sisters. I basically grew up with most of my cousins, we all lived in the same town, had houses a few blocks away from each other, went to the same schools, have literally been there for each other through thick and thin.

Thinking about all our memories and conversations about the future and just about how we learned from each others experiences and grew up with each other just makes me so grateful that I have had the opportunity to be so close to my family. I thank Allah so much for giving me such a loving and generous family to learn and prosper from. I know sometimes I don't show my family [that includes my parents, brother, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandmothers] how much I love and appreciate them. But I know, and you guys know, that I will always love you from the bottom of my heart, no matter what. Whether we drift away, don't speak for five years, or live in the same neighborhood in the future, I will always be there for you. Insha'allah, I pray from every part of my being, that the relationship that we have with each other stays the same forever, or strengthens itself even more, because you guys have been my past, my present and will, insha'allah, be my future.

i <3 you cousins

...i <3 all my friends too :-D....