With my thoughts to blog more, I wanted to write this entry. I have read entries in other blogs where the author has shared how a close friend or family member are important to them, writing about the effect they have had in their life. Not only has that most likely been of amazing encouragement to the person being written about, but has also helped me feel encouraged, reading about the awesome types of people there are here on Earth. Here’s a post about another one of these people, who is important to me.
You know those kind of stories and jokes that nobody else finds funny except for those couple of people who were initially involved in the joke or story? Please indulge me for this short moment as I discuss a few.
Sally is my sister. She has been for my whole life. That may seem a stupid, obvious thing to say, but to be honest, it isn’t necessarily the standard practice families. Many people have distant, detached, or even non-existent relationships with their siblings. My experience is so far from that upsetting idea. She has been over and above what any sister should be like.
My sister is simply brilliant. Growing up with somebody who would always support, encourage, protect and direct me has been amazing. Sally has always been there for me and is always there for me. Despite the various things she goes through, she remains there for -not just me- but everyone around her too. I was never bullied when I was at school, but whenever I came under any trouble with anybody Sally would always tell me that she would stand up for me and protect me. I felt so loved and cared for. When she was a teenager and I was an annoying pre-teen, she still spent time with me, and we’d have so much fun together. Now she is a mother of three, she still has time for me, always up for a coffee and a chat, always available to go on mini-adventures, always available to cook tasty food, always available to make me warm and cool clothes and hats. And she is always available to do all the same for Heather.
1. You may or may not have seen Bugsy Malone. I don’t know what you think of that film, but I love it, especially this 3 second clip during the finale song where a group of the guys simply sing ‘la la la la la la laaa’ (it is 3:10 into this clip). My sister and I love nothing more than singing that little 3 second clip and laughing whilst others have no idea what we’re going on about.
2. There are plenty of coasters and place mats at my parents house. The place mats have country pubs on, but there is one specific place mat that my sister and I spent probably days of our lives fighting over, carefully swapping them around on the dinner table so that we had the best one without the other seeing. Again, nobody else would care about this place mat but us, they would have no idea what we’re doing.
3. ‘Loads of moolar, loads of moolar, loads of moolar loads of moo’…..
OK. Private jokes finished now. Stay with me.
Sally is my sister. She has been for my whole life. That may seem a stupid, obvious thing to say, but to be honest, it isn’t necessarily the standard practice families. Many people have distant, detached, or even non-existent relationships with their siblings. My experience is so far from that upsetting idea. She has been over and above what any sister should be like.My sister is simply brilliant. Growing up with somebody who would always support, encourage, protect and direct me has been amazing. Sally has always been there for me and is always there for me. Despite the various things she goes through, she remains there for -not just me- but everyone around her too. I was never bullied when I was at school, but whenever I came under any trouble with anybody Sally would always tell me that she would stand up for me and protect me. I felt so loved and cared for. When she was a teenager and I was an annoying pre-teen, she still spent time with me, and we’d have so much fun together. Now she is a mother of three, she still has time for me, always up for a coffee and a chat, always available to go on mini-adventures, always available to cook tasty food, always available to make me warm and cool clothes and hats. And she is always available to do all the same for Heather.
Often I hear people say to Sally ‘you are like a sister to me’, or ‘you’ve been like a big sister to me‘. Well guess what. I have the awesome privilege to actually call her my actual sister. We don’t get to choose our family, and I know I wouldn’t change mine ever. She is kind, thoughtful, caring, genuine, honest, Godly, normal (not ‘boring’ normal, but not ‘weird’. Well, she is ‘funny’ weird, but- well- you know what mean). She is real, compassionate, incredibly creative, idea-filled and brings life into any situation and conversation she is involved in. I know that in previous years when she was part of Kerith she had a huge impact on so many teenage girls who are now growing into amazing women, and now she is at the Beacon church in Camberley, she is having a similar effect, blessing, training and leading many people to become wonderful men and women of God.
She has 3 quality children, and an awesome husband. Nobody can know the Ropers and not be blessed by them. It’s the ‘Roper-effect’.
One thing that would never be said of Sally is that she’s a woman of few words (haha!), but she is a woman of wonderful words, and I love the way she can spend 1 hour with people and they can be taken up in their lift, feeling encouraged, valued, cared for and wanted. She makes people like they belong. She speaks life and love into people.
She is like a sister to many people, but I’m the only one who can say that she is my sister. I love her very much and I’m very proud of her.
Ben Pocock 
