"For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sarah and I am Jasmine’s sister of 23 years, and Paul’s sister of about…3 hours now. It truly amazes me how fast time flies when I look back on the years growing up with Jasmine. I remember our childhood together so vividly. From travelling with our dad, to elaborate birthday parties, to simply playing Barbies for hours and hours on end. I remember spending a lot of time together in the kitchen, where we would pretend we had our own cooking show. Jasmine was always the head chef, and I was the assistant. I can’t really say I did much except for the occasional stir or sprinkle of sugar, but let’s be honest Jazz, we both knew I was only good at licking the mixing bowl when we were done.
When I entered high school, Jasmine proved to be an awesome sister in other ways. As many of you may know, and my family will be the first to agree, I am something of what you would call a procrastinator. Near the end of grade 11 I was required to complete an Independent Study Unit for my World Issues Class. I was supposed to prepare both an essay and a presentation, and as usual, I put it off until the last day possible. The night before, I stayed up so late trying to finish it, that I ended up falling asleep. The next morning, I woke up and realized that I wasn’t anyone close to being finished. I made my way upstairs, gathered my courage, and knocked on Jasmine’s door. Doing my best to collect sympathy, I told Jasmine my situation, and told her this ISU was worth 30% of my mark. Being the ingenious girl that she was (and still is), Jasmine told me to find my teacher’s phone number. A few minutes later, my sister is on the phone with my teacher, explaining that I am violently throwing up as I have a severe case of food poisoning. Jazz, I owe you one!!
Perhaps the best testament of the bond Jasmine and I have built, is a now infamous story amongst my family. It may or may not even involve a certain guest here today. My family was on vacation in Florida with some nameless family friends (you know who you are). I would say I was about 9, and Jasmine was 13. We were all lounging at the hotel, and I decided to go for a swim. I was doing races in the pool, when things took a turn for the worse. After I beat my dad’s friend’s son (let’s just call him “Bobby”), I was savoring my victory when Bobby dunked my head under the water. Being a little bit of a drama queen, when I lifted my head up from the water I screamed and yelled at the top of my lungs. That’s when Jasmine sprang into action. She somehow ran out of the hotel room, saw me flailing my arms in the pool and warned Bobby to swim away and nobody would get hurt. Not reacting well to any form of authority, Bobby laughed maniacally and moved towards me again. That’s when Jasmine did the incredible. She backed up from the edge of the pool which I soon learned was because she wanted to get a running start. She sprinted to the edge, and karate kicked into the water, hitting Bobby dead on. I’m not sure if she really sensed danger, or if she just wanted to prove a point…but at that moment, I realized that Jasmine really has my back.
Joking aside, it truly is the best feeling to know that you have someone in your life that will always be there for you. You are more than just a sister to me. You’ve been like a mother to me when we were growing up, you’ve become like a best friend to me now that we are adults, and you’ll forever be a role-model and inspiration to me. Jasmine, I think that the quality I admire most about you is the fact that you will do anything for the people you care about.
Paul, I can assure you that Jasmine will be there for you no matter what, and she truly is the best person to have on your team. Not to mention, you can count on always having a spotless house and amazing home-cooked dinners!
That said, Jasmine, you are very lucky to have found a perfect man for you. Paul, I am so delighted to have you join our family, and I cannot think of a better person for Jasmine. You are patient, kind, understanding, and you are always there to lend your expertise. I am not sure what I would have done without your help this year living in Toronto. You have made sure I didn’t get lost on the TTC, and you spent hours trying to help me find a new apartment for next month. I cannot begin to thank you enough for all of this. I know we have only known each other for a couple years now, but I feel like we’ve become good friends during that time, and I can’t wait to continue that in the years to come.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank Heather and Kate, as well as Jan for being a fantastic bridal party. Planning the bridal shower with you ladies was a blast, and I’d say we made a great team.
So to you Jasmine and Paul: Congratulations on this beautiful marriage. Be friends to each other. Share each other’s hopes, and fill each other’s dreams. I love you both, and I am so happy to share this day with you."
