This is a post dedicated to my new niece.

Sometimes in life there are unavoidable steps that must be taken, must be overcome. There are obstacles that stand in the way of our dreams, of our goals, of our hopes.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the sailing, in the feel of the wind and the sound of the waves, that we get turned around, sometimes we get challenged for direction.

There is always a lighthouse on the shore to guide us home. It’s a beating of our heart – the moment in between breaths, the pause in between moments. That guides us, like a light on the rock above to the safety of home.

Its hard being an older sister – sometimes. My younger brother, and younger sister are part of my heart – part of my soul. When they struggle with things – while the struggle is uniquely their own – my heart, my soul feels for them. I feel their hopes, their dreams, their elation — but also their sorrows.

This weekend, is an incredible one of healing. My brother – I call him – among many things, a terra cotta warrior. He has always been one of those stoic protectors for the entirety of my life. Ensuring the protection of those he loves and in his realm.

He is slow to action, perpetually ensuring to take the safest route – ensuring that the path is safest for his loved ones to travel – that he has protected all sides.

He has had some incredible hurts in his life – being damaged to a crushing level, but he has gotten back up and continued on with his journey – holding all the hurt in and back from showing or impacting anyone else ….

Except I’m tremendously empathic and aware of this hurt. There has not been anything to do, but encourage, and support him along his journey.

He met your mom a while ago – and I immediately liked her. She has this calm presence that is both soothing, but also incredible capable. It was clear, that the strength she has, and the purity of heart are the things that most attracted my brother to her. Over time, she has brought herself more to an endearment of love to me, and the entirety of my family.

For the first time, in all the other people my brother has chosen to surround himself with and loaned his heart to…. This was someone, that I viewed as worthy of this loan. – Someone that would treat his heart with the care and respect it deserved, someone that cared for him as a person before they loved him and someone who genuinely liked his nature and his company before she loved him. This is someone we adopted.

My brother proposed to her this weekend, and she said yes. It is beyond words – it feels like suddenly a part of my heart and soul that has ached and hurt for my brother is healed. Finally he has a partner in his journeys, someone who will enjoy his company and his nature, and that he can enjoy. They can be partners in this rogue adventure we call life.

Yesterday, you decided to grace us with your presence. You came into this world in unexpected ways, and a little sooner than imagined – I feel your mum knew you were coming sooner than anticipated, afterall its not really a trait of our family to hold things back, and I’m quite certain you let her know you had enough of the confines of her body – no matter how comfortable that womb had been for the months prior.

The look of sheer joy on all of the family at your arrival is not something I can convey in words. You are an unexpected blessing that brings a lighthouse to us in these tumultuous times. Conditions in the world are so confusing right now, but your arrival, your light is a beacon back to the heart and soul of what’s important. Thank you for joining us.