[Give me some lovin']

Auntie arrived on the same soil I was in a few days before my departure.  Let's not talk about what a pity it was that she was in a different city so we couldn't meet. So near yet so far.  She even had a one hour stop over in Rh...gah!  We had a good time chatting on the phone what with the local calls, and cheap call rates.  Mr F made an effort to keep in touch with her even when I left for Sg.  Even though it was a small gesture of calling and saying hello, Auntie was touched.  Mr F then said something to the effect of "This is what family does for each other".  There have been a few other incidences where I was very touched as to how he treated me, though for him it was not a big deal.

Ever since coming back, Sakura has more than once said "Awww you're so sweet!" for the littlest things I do for her - be it giving her a shoulder massage while she's busy mugging away, or taking her something or other even though she didn't request for it.  While I'm pretty sure we were not devoid of affection growing up, perhaps we were not shown much. Or perhaps the current state of things in the house makes little things like these seem more meaningful.  Yesterday, Papa commented on how we were so cute. When he sms-ed us whether we wanted dinner, I said "Yes for me and Sakura" while Sakura replied "Yes for me and kakak."  My conclusion - we look out for each other. Sisterly love. :)

While we can't change our parents' characters and attitudes or their quirky ways of demanding attention from us, I guess we could concentrate on the way we look after each other. Hopefully as we grow into more loving persons with other relationships around us, we get more used to not only giving affection, but also accepting it readily, instead of feel "Wow, he/she did this for me." That's of course not to say that we should take affection for granted, especially if we have a loving husband like mine.  I guess it's all about moderation and expressing gratitude when it's due.

To my habibi, thank you for teaching me the meaning of family and affection.  Yes we may both have dysfunctional families (then again, who doesn't - it's just the intensity that differs, right?), but InshaAllah with His Guidance, we can instill the same love to our children and their children and the many generations after that.