a guest post by Sean Abbott:

The way the rest of the family tells the story, the reason she was relegated to play the Wookiee in our Star Wars games of make believe was because of the rust color coat she had and her red hair. Okay, that might have been part of it, but the real reason was that she was my partner and what is Han Solo without his partner, Chewbaca. And yes, I did play both Han AND Luke but I was the ONLY brother and besides, it was my game: I would play the hero (Han) and not for the first or the last time, she would be my partner. It is my first clear memory of her.

She was my first sibling and my first sister. She was my first friend and my first playmate. I’m sure my parents told me before she was born that my life was about to change, but I was too young, and that is too long ago for me to remember. I have many early memories of her, but as I grow older, the exact sequence of events gets hazy. I do have some very vivid memories of a Christmas morning many, many years ago in Lawrence, Kansas. We lived on the second floor of a two story house. The living room was wallpapered. In my memory there doesn’t seem to be a lot of paint in the early to mid 70’s – just wallpaper.  Regardless, the wall paper was a mist green with a pine cone / pine tree / pine branch print. There was a beautiful Christmas tree set up in the room and we (the kids) were opening presents.  I sat opening presents with her.  Nothing really remarkable or worthy of a memory maybe, but we sat together in the room with the pine cone wall paper and she was there.

It was in that same house that Tabi got shocked by the electrical outlet. Same room actually.  Now there is some debate on the exact sequence of events.  Tabi claims I challenged her to stick the key in the outlet. I plead the fifth. I was too young to really understand the consequences of what had happened, but I do know that after she stuck the key in the outlet and all hell broke loose, I was acutely aware of the pain my sister was in, and I knew that this was (a) BAD, (b) I didn’t like it, and (c) I was very scared for my sister. Fortunately for both of us and for the partnership, she didn’t die and I didn’t get in too much trouble. I have other memories from that house with her, most of them involving riding tricycles and playing in the trees in the back yard / alley area.  And picking mulberries with her. We used to spend hours picking mulberries together.

As the years rolled on, Tabi continued to be my partner.  Of course we fought, like all siblings do, but how many times had we seen Han and Chewie in a heated argument (even if we never really understood it)? That was us. We fought constantly (even if no one understood it), but we always made up.

As I grew older and we no longer played Star Wars on a daily basis, Tabi was the first one that I confided in about my life.  Usually it was my crushes, but as a young boy, what else is there in life?

When I joined the Marine Corps, Tabi continued to be my partner.  In the fall of 1991 she drove down to Camp Lejeune to pick me up and bring me home for Thanksgiving. A 14 hour drive there and back (who thought that was a good idea?)  She didn’t make the trip down to Lejeune often, but she was frequently the one who volunteered to pick me up where my ride dropped me off on many a weekend, whether it was in Maryland, the Eastern shore, or West Virginia. I never truly appreciated the sacrifice that she made to do that, but as a result of those times together, we continued to grow closer.

Once I got out of the Marine Corps, we even made a few additional road trips together.  I have vague memories of the two of us almost crashing a car – a memory in which a spider played a major role. To this day I can’t remember who was driving, just lots of girlish screaming and a smashed spider that ended up on the ceiling of the car. One of the screaming voices in the car (the louder one) may or may not have been my own.

As I grew older we continued to grow closer.  Even after I was married, and during the times I struggled in my life and I felt that I was all alone, she was consistently the first one to reach out to me, let me know that she loved me and that she was there for me. Her compassion for me during those times was a testament to her name. In Hebrew, the name Tabitha means – beauty, grace – from the Aramaic word for Gazelle.  She has been the definition of grace.

Now that we are both adults, she continues to amaze me. She is an awesome aunt to my three boys.  She deeply and truly loves them as if they were her own. She is an amazing friend to my wife and loves her as a sister and a friend. When I was injured in an accident in 2014, she took time off work and out of her schedule to drive down to North Carolina to take care of me and my injured Marines, allowing us to heal, and providing the extra support needed for our family during that time. And trust me when I say that cooking and caring for three recovering Marines is a monumental task – one she performed with grace. Chewie himself could not have not done it better.

We both still love Star Wars (and with the recent movie there have been many texts and phone calls), but we have also expanded our love for stories. While Tabi was taking care of me and my fellow Marines, I got her hooked on The Arrow and The Flash. I don’t talk long on the phone very often to anybody. Except Tabi. Every so often I call my partner to discuss the latest plot twists in our stories.  And those phone calls I truly do enjoy and love.

She was born two years, two weeks, and two days after me which makes today her birthday.

So to my sister, my friend, and partner:

AAAUUAAAUAUAUAUAUUUH AHRGURHGUUAAUURGUAAUUWUHUAAAUUUH AURGUAAAUHRGURHG!  AGURUHUUUAAH UAUAUUAAUGHAUAUAUAAAUUAAUGHA UURGUHUU UARHUARGUGHUUAUA UURGUHUU UAAUUUUHUAUAUGHAUUAAUUARUAUAUAAAUGHRUGHA!!

Which translated from Wookiee means “Happy Birthday, Tabi. Now prepare to jump to hyperspace!!”