Far away family

In the modern day living many families don't now live near each other. In a world where we move to towns to work, live away from home to study it is not surprising that relations get spread out.

For us this is true of us. My sister studied in Wales and basically never came back. Now married it is difficult to give the support that I feel is rightly due, as her sister and that I would like in return.

I feel I am there for her, but also not at the same time. Other people provide the support that I would gladly give, making me feel inadequate as a sister. It is hard to watch; No chance to pick up her ill child up on my day off, no having my nephew for tea, no spur of the moment arrangements.

We instead spend blocks of time together, having to allow the children time to adjust to each other. For family occasions and special events, or weekends that one or the other of us travels to stay with the other. In the lives of two working families a up to three hour journey makes it difficult. I maybe reflective in the fact that both being successful in the career paths we have chosen has taken away a layer of support.

I can only hope that I can have a close relationship with her children as she has another one on the way. A person they can come to, rely on and generally be there for them.

And yet with tech it only takes one text, email or call and we can both read each other, as if we have seen each other everyday. I hope that as sisters this never changes as our lives continue to move separately from each other.