So when my older sister asked me to be her maid of honor,I had one thought in my mind: How do I deliver a beautiful and honest speech? The end result was a speech far from the original draft I had wrote. It took months of revising and editing. Still, I thought that the speech I came up with perfectly captured the relationship I had with my siblings.
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Originally, when this speech was made, it was very sentimental and full of useless anecdotes that will bore many of you. Hopefully, this little message, though shorter, will do the opposite.
It's funny that today I can officially say I gained a brother because to me, Miggy has been my brother for far longer. He and ate Jill have been together for nearly a decade, and they were bestfriends for years before that.
As the maid of honor, it is expected that my toast is filled with stories of my sister, growing up with her, and singing her praises. But knowing ate Jill, I know she'll appreciate and find it special that I begin by talking about her bestfriend, her confidant, and now, her husband.
When I was younger, even if I had already looked at Miggy as a kuya, it was more because of his presence than anything else. However, as I grew older, especially in recent days, I began to understand why. These past few months, Miggy's advice and openness to approach me and talk to me about my troubles, even if it concerns ate Jill (I'll get to that later), has helped me in more ways than anyone can imagine. So Miggy, kuya, officially, finally, thank you.
Now, onto ate Jill, (and the aforementioned troubles). If you have a sibling, especially a sister, you'll understand. Sisters annoys and criticize. They interfere and overstep. They fight and stop talking (for about a second) only to jump on to the next problem. They yell. They sulk. They cry. They accuse and abuse. They borrow your things and break them, or misplace them. They make snide remarks and tease until the words are no longer just words. But when life is not coming up roses, when things get heavy and the poop hits the fan, when catastrophe strikes or tragedy hits, when something as tiny as a fight with a friend leads to a tear, when your job sucks and money is tight, you can count on your sister to cover all corners. No one will hate you and love you, sometimes at the same time, as much as your sister. And no one's counsel matters and works as best as a sister's.
And I'm happy to say that ate Jill, my older sister in wisdom as much as age, has been a wonderful ate to me. Amidst all the fights and tampuhans, the countless nights of patigasans, I've always been able to knock on her door, sit on her bed, and unload. Never did I feel the need to keeps things from her and not share. She's always had my back.
Now that she's married, I hope I still have that privilege. But I'm confident that I do, because as with all things in her life, I know she'll continue to be a great sister (as well as daughter, cousin, granddaughter, niece, aunt, teacher, friend)even as she achieves greatness as a wife.
To the happy couple! You can't be better suited if you tried. I love you both! May your champagne bubbles rise up to meet you!
