I don’t believe I know you yet, for reasons I’ll explain later. So, allow me to introduce myself.

I am the girl who has loved your future husband for two decades and counting. I’m the girl who was once the baby he wanted taken back to the hospital. But, I’m also the girl who eventually grew on him and later became one of his best friends (after approximately thirteen years of fighting…sorry, Mom and Dad).

Now, let me tell you a little bit about the man my brother is.

He has the biggest heart. He is endlessly compassionate. He loves our dog and our grandmas. He’s great with kids, even though he claims that they scare him (I tell him he will be different with his own). He has a “high emotional IQ,” as a family member said when he was young. Everything he feels, he feels deeply, whether good or bad. But this makes him a better man.

He has been through the ringer. But you’ll never catch him complaining. He’s had a number of health problems and has come out of them tougher than he was before. He has been in the Army for nearly three years and has seen enough that he takes no day for granted.

He’s certainly had his heart broken a time or two, each time by girls, never by a woman who truly knew how to handle him. I want for him someone who will take care of him even if he thinks he doesn’t need to be taken care of.

He has a temper, but he’s learned how to control it. And after a temper tantrum, he always quickly feels remorse, admits he was wrong and sincerely apologizes. And trust me, that same temper comes in handy when a guy at a restaurant makes an unwelcome comment about the way your shirt fits you. Word gets around quickly that you are not one to be messed with, only because he is not one to be messed with.

He’s a daredevil. He loves riding street bikes and motorcycles and roller coasters, and he drives a car faster than anybody I know. But I also know this. While I don’t enjoy his need for speed, I’ve truly never felt scared in a vehicle with him, or in any would-be frightening situation with him, because I know he would never put me in danger. I know he’ll be even more careful with you than he is with me.

He is a comedian. He will constantly do whatever he can to make you laugh, even when you don’t want to. He’ll send you funny videos all the time, but since he’s not on social media, they’ll usually be already outdated. Watch them anyway and reply “Lol” at the very least, and try your best not to be annoyed by his never-ending jokes and impressions, because that is one way he shows he cares.

He is my everything. He is all that I have. He is my other half. Be good to him.

The reason I said earlier that I don’t believe I have met you yet is because truthfully, I don’t believe my brother has met anyone yet who is deserving of him. But I know that he will, and I am excited for that day.

I look forward to meeting you, knowing you, loving you. Understand me when I tell you that that is not easy for me to say. I hope that you have a brother, too, so that you understand what I mean. But I really am excited to share my family with you. We are a close bunch, fiercely protective and loyal, but if you're the right girl, you won't be scared away. Instead, you'll fit right in.

I can't wait for you to join us for Thanksgiving dinners and Labor Day picnics. I can't wait to shop with you. I can’t wait to watch our kids open Christmas presents together and run around my parents’ backyard throwing football in the summer. I can't wait for you and my future husband to roll your eyes at my brother and me when we are obnoxiously impersonating our favorite movies and shows shows. I can’t wait to be your friend.

Sincerely,

His Little Sister