my sister takes a plunge

today marks the first day of my sister’s (nursing) board exams. these past few months i’d been rather blase about the whole thing — although in a roundabout way i could almost imagine how much this means to her. it’s not just a matter of capping about 3 years’ worth of studying with a qualifying exam that would allow to her scale the next height. this is practically a culmination of various factors for her: all those years of wondering if she had somehow done the right thing or if she had missed a turn somewhere…

it took her a while to finally retrace her steps to find this path again (years!), and after she had made up her mind to head in this direction, it was like she had regained her former (younger and more idealistic) self. this is what she had been meant for. i don’t know why it took us that long to realize the difference.

she’s out there right now, probably quietly freaking out as she writes down her answers. i have faith in her capacity to learn and absorb things, especially her willingness to forego time and resources to accomplish something that she has set her mind on. and i know she’s not the type to let things slide — no, she has too much sense for that. i still wish i could have done more for her though.

so neng, i hope you hurdle this challenge with your usual flair. heaven knows you deserve a better break after all you’ve gone through and given up for our sake. just go out there and grab your star. good luck and God bless.