Dear Ryan and Aidan,

To start off with, I wasn't exactly sure what compelled me to want to write to you guys, let alone allow anyone who wanted to read it the ability to do so. But you guys have been on my mind a lot lately and I think that was kind of a sign as to what I should talk about this week.

If you two didn't already know this then let me reiterate one more time: I am so incredibly proud of who you have become and who you are going to continue to grow into. I love the two of you so much and I really just need you to know that. You are both so incredibly talented in such different ways and you continue to amaze me every single day. You're both limitless in your potential so don't ever doubt yourselves! There could be 100 people in a room and 99 of them can wish you to fail, but 1 person can believe in everything you can do, and that's all it takes to succeed. I will ALWAYS be that 1 person in the room.

I know things have been hard. I know that stuff doesn't always go the way we planned it and I know that sometimes it feels like we have lost our way. You're never lost. You just took a different path from the map is all. When life feels dark and it feels suffocating, take a deep breath; you're not suffocating, and look for the light that burns bright inside the two of you. That light never goes out and burns brighter and stronger than you think.

Ryan: Dude, you're killing the game! Every day I see the young man you are becoming and the more I see it the prouder I am. You've got a great sense of style and honestly, I'm a little jealous sometimes. You're also doing such incredible things at a young age. That invitation from Harvard? THAT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD! And guess what; you did that. You did that on your own merit and by your own ability. Never doubt yourself, because you can accomplish so much more than you know. I know that I can always go to you to talk about anything and everything and we desperately need to do that soon! You're kind of like my sounding board and I never really thank you enough for that. You've also got memes for day my guy, and I enjoy the little subculture we've created around them. Mom and Dad still have no clue what we're talking about, and that's OK. Thanks for talking science nerd stuff with me; seeing your eyes light up and the excitement in your voice about science just brings such joy to me since it's something I've dedicated my life to pursuing (and potentially you as well). You're my biggest fan (besides mom and dad) and every time I hear you tell me how proud you are of me, it sticks with me a little longer.

Aidan: Buddy you give the best hugs in the world! Every time I come home from school, you're always right there waiting for me and it puts a smile on my face each time. You're also so funny and you can make me laugh until my sides hurt! Whether it's watching YouTube videos for hours on end or trying not to yell too loud during Dead by Daylight, every second spent with you is full of joy. You also need to give yourself more credit than you do. You and I share something that I don't have with anyone else, and you already know what that is, so I won't say anything more on it 😉. Take a breath and a step back from everything from time to time. Realize that the haters aren't worth your time and that you are made for such bigger and better things. You're also still young so don't sweat the small stuff! You'll look back on it one day and laugh at how big of a deal you made it. But even in your young age, you have wisdom beyond your years. You're very intelligent and well spoken at the age of 11 (soon to be 12!) and it's always so apparent to me whenever we really have a good conversation. You love to talk about politics and social theory and that gives me such hope for your generation in the future; you'll be an incredible leader.

Finally, let me say thank you to the two of you for some things that I always cherish in my heart:

Thank you for always being there. Thank you for the best group hugs. Thank you for car rides in the summer with the windows down and the music up. Thank you for meme compilations. Thank you for the countless hours in the sun in Nana's pool. Thank you for sneaking into the drive in's together under blankets. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for all your support when I wasn't good. Thank you for sticking together during the Dark Ages. Thank you for all the secret spy missions we'd undertake. Thank you for the sleepovers in pillow forts on Saturdays with Dad. Thank you for letting me win in Call of Duty every now and then! Thank you for wiping away tears. Thank you supporting me at my soccer games and my theater productions. Thank you for being ride buddies at Knoebel's. Thank you for allowing me to be a mentor. Thank you for sword fights and Nerf wars every Sunday. Thank you for finding and bringing Toby into our lives. Thank you for taking care of Sammy when I'm not there. Thank you for scootering up and down Edison Avenue every evening after school. Thanks for being my photographers for my Instagram when we go on vacation. Thank you for making me so proud to have worn that "biggest brother" t-shirt in the hospital. Thank you for caring about fashion as much as I do. Thank you for catching fireflies with me. Thank you for teaberry ice cream on hot summer days. Thank you for making Mom tea when I'm not around. Thanks for going to concerts with me. Thanks for hiking the trails when we would go camping. Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for believing in me and my dreams. Gracias por hablas español conmigo.

Above all else, thank you for being MY brothers. We have a bond that no one else does and you two are one of my greatest gifts in life. I thank God every day for giving me the blessing of you two. Now that you're done reading this, let's go play Smash so I can kick your butts!

All my love,

Your Big Brother ❤