Happy 21st Birthday Sarah

Today is my cousin Sarah’s 21st birthday. I missed her family party at the end of January, but I emailed a message to my mother to be read out at the party. I’ve included the message again below.

Happy birthday again Sarah – I hope your Sydney party is fantastic and that your 21st year is everything you hope.

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Sar is, to me, the eldest of my ‘little cousins’, being a mere six years younger (and now, like the rest, four inches taller).

I like to think I was crucially involved in Sarah’s upbringing, e.g. by helping toilet train her. I recall Sar repaid me for my kindnesses over time by painting my Barbie dolls’ faces with Liquid Paper around the age of four.

Now we are adults, she continues to repay me by popping up in Facebook conversations to offer embarrassing childhood stories about me to other friends.

OK no wait! Sar, it has been a privilege to have you as a playmate when we were little and then to watch you grow up to be such an awesome person. I am so sorry I can’t be at your 21st like you were at mine; working for peanuts in East Timor means I don’t have any spare peanuts to fly myself back! I need to eat them! In any case, I hope you know that I can’t wait to see what you do with your next 21 years.

Happy 21st birthday Sar, lots of love from your ‘big cousin’ Kate xo