Sometimes in life, we are gifted with certain people who make the bad times bearable and the good times even better. Luckily for me, I met my “person” the day I was born – my older sister. There are so many reasons why I’m grateful that she’s in my life…

1. Growing up, I had an entire extra set of clothes I could look through. Despite our two year age difference, we were about the same size growing up until I grew some five inches. Without a doubt, this was the cause of the majority of our arguments, but nonetheless, an extra closet is always a plus.
2. She experienced the boyfriends, the heartbreaks, and the emotional breakdowns way before I did, so when I went through it, she had all of the advice. She might’ve been better in the relationship department that I was, but hey, I tried, and she was always willing to help me out when I asked for it.
3. When I’m wrong, she tells me, and when I’m right she’s there to back me up. I know that she’ll take my side on 99.99% of issues, but only if it’s not her I’m arguing against. When I make mistakes, she is always there to help me fix things and make them right again.
4. She judges me, but doesn’t judge me in a bad way. I am the craziest when it’s just she and I. I know that I don’t have to have any fear of being myself when I’m around her, and that is simply the greatest feeling in the world.
5. When we experience loss, we experience it together. Sometimes families go through rough times, and I don’t really know if I would have made it through those experiences without my sister by my side.
6. I have someone who will come visit me at a drop of a hat when I’m feeling lonely 2 hours away at college. Which also ties into the fact that I have someone who continues to Facetime me, day after day, just so I can have a face-to-face conversation with a familiar face from home. I’m unbelievably grateful that we started this routine.
7. She knows how to have fun! I’ll argue that I’m the better partier nine times out of ten even though I’m the younger sister, but she can definitely keep up sometimes! Whether it’s when we’re at family events, Christmas Eve dinners, weddings, or even just when she visits me up at school, we have the time of our lives. There is seriously never a dull moment when we’re together, and I’m sad that I took that for granted for some time during our high school years, but extremely happy that we’ve rekindled our close bond in years more recent.
8. Friends will come and go, but I will always know that my sister will be by my side. She will be the maid of honor at my wedding, the best aunt to my children, and someone I can continue to laugh and have fun with for the rest of our lives.

Jamie,

I cannot wait until we are actual adults living across town from each other, when we can call each other up to have a wine night while watching Ever After or Titanic. I cannot wait to be in each other’s weddings, or to be a part of each other’s children’s lives. Most importantly, I cannot wait to have you by my side for the rest of my life.

Love Always,

Ash