A really beautiful and heartwarming post :)

Ya Haqq!

Sumera: They are indeed :)

Muse: The youngest ones often have such a way about them, don’t they?

Yasmine: Thank you for sharing your Khala with me!

I loved the story about her kissing you with her bright red lips on her wedding day! Though your Khala is tiny and mine is almost 6 feet tall, clearly they both have hearts of gold to inspire such niece-love! May they be granted health and happiness, ameen!

Achelois: I love being a Khala – it’s the closest thing I’ve got to motherhood :)

Thanks for your dear comments!

Warmly,
Baraka

I have a magic khala, too; she is also the youngest, and she and my ummy are the only ones left now, since my last mamaji passed away only a few days ago.

I first met her when I was 5. We were in Pakistan for her wedding, and I sat in her lap as her friends and family did her makeup. I clung to her neck and cried bitter tears when they told her not to kiss me because her red lipstick would get wiped off. Instead, she laughed, and kissed me anyway, and I thought she was the most amazing person ever.

She has always been little and thin, and has small teeth, too, like your khala, and a loud laugh. When we lived in Pakistan, she was more like an older sister than an aunt; she was always nibbling on something, buying snacks from the stalls, always giggling at something, teasing us nonstop. Life has dealt her harsh blows, but she has always always been there for my ummy and for us.

Thank you for the beautiful post, Baraka. May your magic khala have good health, and the ease and healing that her presence brings you all.