Dear Josh,

I know that you can’t read, but I feel as if everyone out there, including you, needs to know why I have been blessed with one of the best brothers and life coaches out there. In fact, this letter is dedicated to all of the kids out there who have a special needs sibling, because, believe it or not, you are pretty darn lucky.

In my 20 years of life, you have taught me more than any class, textbook, or Nobel Prize winner can teach me, yet you can’t even talk. (Unless, of course, you want a glass of soda. You always manage to get those words out.) To put it simply, I used to feel bad for myself when I was young because I would never have that brother with whom I could have those little impudent fights siblings have or who I could tell my secrets to when I didn’t want mom or dad to find out. I didn’t ever get those things, but I got a whole lot more that other siblings could never replicate.

Thanks to you, I have learned how to appreciate the little things in life like when you and I have little conversations that are essentially just little jumbled noises that we repeat back and forth to each other for 10 minutes. You’re smiling from ear to ear like we’re having the best conversation in the world and I’m smiling right back at you because it’s so good to see you smile. It’s a celebratory occasion when you accomplish a new milestone like when you learned how to clean up after yourself around the house (and do so a lot better than me) or to form the words "thank you" after you've been given something.

You always approach life carefree, not worrying that others are looking at you for being a little noisy in the grocery store or that you have crumbs all over your shirt. This is a lesson that I have always taken with me and I never changed who I really was to impress anyone else. People are expected to take you at face value or not at all and every single aid that has ever worked with you says nothing but how much they love you and how special you are to them because of this.

Being your sister, I’ve learned that some days are harder than others and, even though you have your days where you’re cranky (Don’t we all?), there’s always something to smile about at the end of the day. There are times when it’s exhausting living with you, especially for mom, but our lives wouldn’t as great as they are without you, making even the most stressful days worth it.

There are truly an infinite number of reasons as to why being your sister is truly an honor that I can never stop being thankful for. You have taught me how to be strong through adversity and to always have an appreciation for what truly matters. These are lessons that I couldn’t have taken away from anywhere else. You are the world to me and I feel as if I share a bond with you that no two other people can replicate. To everyone else out there who has a brother or sister with special needs, know that you are one of the luckiest kids out there as you are gaining some of life’s most valuable lessons with each and every day.