2nd set of Parents!

Most of us have only one set of parents.  I have been blessed to have two. One are my biological parents and others are the one with whom I spent all possible vacations and weekends; my beloved mamu and mami (maternal uncle and aunt).

I had a very wonderful childhood, filled with love, laughter and craziness. I love my 3 sets of maternal uncle, aunts, and all my cousins from the core of my heart . I had the most happening childhood with my 3 female cousins, for which I am thankful to them. I always found profuse love in my grand fathers place. And me being a sugar glider insisted on going back and forth. It was like a female's paradise. 

My older uncle and aunt (mamu and mami) loved me the most amongst all the cousins. And I was the closest with their daughter. I never considered her my cousin; she was my sister, my soul mate, and partner in crime, a teacher so and so forth.  She always cared for me like a chicken taking caring of her chick J

We were inseparables or conjoined twins J I have always wished to be adopted by them.

If I have to name one person who taught me the most skills, sports, magic tricks etc that would be my Mamu. Growing up he was my ideal. He taught us girls everything from swimming to gun shooting (toy gun of course), to camping, to dining out etiquette. He was a doctor, a teacher, a guide, and mentor, all in one. I am and will always be indebted to him. I used to venerate how he uses to pamper mami. I always wished to have a man like him.

He was a courageous man who loved to take challenges. The biggest among them was gathering friends and family, who shared different interests and passion for a traveling trip to different fantastic parts of Pakistan, that too every year.  He wanted us all to learn to love and live together and to know the power of sharing and sacrifice for each other under unlikely circumstances. 

As a kid I never liked mami L I use to think her as an arrogant and a quiet person. Ah the innocence of childhood, when slight I knew about stress, difficulties and practicalities of life. And little I was exposed to the fact that parents only show their happiness, not their weaknesses or sadness. With the passage of time, things changed or my perspective changed. Mami became my best friend.  She became the one taking care of clothes and other needs. As my mom was not that much into it and I was crazy about it. I would share all my silliness and vivid thoughts /ideas with her and she would listen with all the enthusiasm in the world. She was the one who helped me taking the biggest and most important decision of my life. I was skeptical and shaky but she held my hands and gave me such a positive insight that I was able to do the decision.

How can a person love another person kid just like his or her own? I received immeasurable adoration from them. Both of them have an limitless and immense love for people. Never in my life I have seen two folks who care about other individuals more than themselves, who don’t think once to spend their last penny on a loved one, and who are always there to give their shoulders or to wipe tears. 

Love you mamu and mami. I know these few paragraphs does not do justice to all your love and time for me but, accept it as a tiny tribute. May you get all the happiness you deserve, here and here after. I am thousands of miles away but this song brings back all the memories and “masti” (fun) I had with you guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4hxi60CGVQ