I had written a whole post about another kaupapa (topic) before I wrote this and then I got really angry when I saw something on TV which made me want to talk about respect. Then I heard some other korero from a couple who were one of the first whanau to find out that their son had passed away as a result of the earthquake. SO! So many thoughts going through my mind at the moment…

Words such as healing past, respect, whanau, death and grief all coming to mind at this time…Perhaps I will leave speaking about those things for future posts…
But for now I honour life and birth and wish my sister a happy birthday!! She turns 40 today and this day is even more special because she just gave birth to my niece last night at 7.59pm! So a special day for all our whanau.
It seems like only yesterday that we were kids and she was trying to lock me in the wardrobe and was pulling faces at me around the corner. Time flies and before we know it we’ve grown up (hopefully) and we’re adults! My sister and I had our fair share of sibling rivalry when we were young, but at some point in our lives we do have to grow up and heal those relationships to fully embrace life and live. Ra whanau ki a koe sis, ka nui te aroha ki a koe…