Day 29: Bubby

I wouldn’t say we were the best of friends growing up. We were just so different:  he was social, I was shy; he was an athlete, I was a nerd; everybody in school loved him, nobody ever knew me; he was outgoing, I preferred staying home.But our relationship changed the day I got married.  All our family and friends had gathered at my aunt’s house in Syracuse, where the multi-day wedding was taking place.  The night of my nikkah (religious ceremony), I was escorted into the small laundry room adjacent to the family room, where the religious elder would ask me if I accepted Arif’s proposal of marriage.  I said “yes” three times, as is the custom. And then I broke down in uncontrollable tears. The emotion of the day, and the days leading up to the wedding, had simply overwhelmed me.  There was just one person in the world that I wanted to see at that moment.My brother came in. Everyone else left. I sat on his lap and cried, the drone of the dryer masking my sobs. He hugged me gently, and reassured me that he would always be there.And he has been.  Through every dilemma, every crisis, every heartache, and of course all the joys.  There’s no one more grounded, more solid, more dependable, or more loving than Bubs.Day 29; Gratitude 29: my brother