Having an older brother comes with annoyance and constant irritation. It comes with being punched in the arm or dead-legged in both legs so you can't run after him. It's being chased up the stairs because he knows you hate it.

It's having him sit on and tickle you in just the right spot. It's listening to weird gamer talk between him and his friends.

But...

It comes with laughter and love. It comes with a bond that is literally unbreakable. It's having him comfort you when you have a bad dream. It's laughing uncontrollably about something no one else would get but you two.

It's obsessing over the same action movies like the new Power Rangers. It's having a protector for life, a best friend every day, and a confidante by your side.

My brother and I are almost four years apart. We both go to MTSU together and, funny enough, we're supposed to graduate with each other.

This article is simply about him because only a few know how much he deserves it. In saying that, there's only a handful of people that know how close we are and how much he means to me.

My brother is not just a brother; he's so much more than that. My brother is my right hand, my light, my protector, my permanent partner in life, and without a doubt my best friend. He's the person I'm going to protect until the day I move on from this world and the person I will continue to place as a priority because he does the same for me.

My brother has put his own feelings aside to protect mine when they might get hurt or already are. He has defended me against the one person he knows can hurt me and he did it without blinking. He shields me from the pain that this world can bring.

There's not much I can give him that can make him realize just how much he means to me, but I hope these words are good enough and the promises I have to him; the promise to protect him for life, to be the hand he can always hold onto, and the person he can always be himself with.

Brother, I promise to be your lighthouse and the one to guide you home. I'll never leave you stranded.

Trust me, I have decades and decades left to annoy you. But most importantly, to make you realize how appreciated and loved you are by not just everyone around us, but to me, your little sister and your shadow. You are more admired than you know.

I pray that you never lose that radiating smile.