At 7 years old, I lived in my castle of a home with just my mom and my dad. My mother's pregnancy, which probably felt like years for her, went by for me in the flash of an eye. And suddenly, there was a baby lying around the house. As I grew, so did he; he became my world. He was my first love, and will always have his own special place in my heart. So this one is for you, Buddy.
1. Friendships come in all ages.
I never thought a person 7 years younger than me could become my best friend. Although obviously there are some things you can't tell a 9 year old, everything else is shared between the 2 of us. He’s the smile I wake up to, and the kiss and a hug I get every night before he goes to sleep.
2. Keep your dreams alive.
As he grows up and strives to be an architect, a firefighter, a singer etc. He inspires me to go after my dreams and never give up. He may change his idea of what he wants to do every week, but every time a new idea pops into his head, he wants to chase it. He continuously tells me to chase after what I want, and I know I will always have his little hand wrapped around mine.
3. Love yourself and be confident.
It happens more often than not that I walk into my brothers room and he is checking himself out in the mirror telling himself how good he looks that day. He then turns to me asking, “Don't I look good?”, just for reassurance...of course he always does. He will then proceed to come into my room and tell me what will look best on me on that day. No matter where he is, he makes his presence known. Everyone knows exactly when he walks in the room, and exactly when he leaves. (because it gets a lot quieter.)
4. Stay goofy.
I have never met a sillier kid than my brother. He knows the appropriate times of when to joke and when to not (my mom might disagree on that). He knows exactly what I find funny, and he will stop at nothing to get a crowd of laughter out of everyone in the room.
5. Never forget to say “I love you.”
“Mom?” I hear his little voice yell outside of my door. “What?” My mother retorts, assuming he made a mess. “I love you.” I hear a chuckle come from my mother’s mouth as she replies “I love you too, Buddy.” Every day he tells my whole family that he loves them (when he wakes up, when he eats, before he sleeps.)
6. I will always have someone during hard times.
When I just want to spend a bad day curled up in a blanket and cry, I am always comforted by him. I never thought someone so young, could be so strong and so supportive. When his little hand wraps around mine, and he whispers to me “everything is going to be okay”, it brings me a sense of comfort that warms my heart.
7. Family is forever.
At the end of the day, my brother is the only one who I know will always have my back. After all the countless fights we get in daily, we still end up hugging it out...simply because family is family. He is my world, and not even on his worst day will he seem anything less than perfect to me. He will hold my hand through every break up, every broken bone, every loss I face in my life. Our relationship is rare, and it is forever.
