When you’re the youngest girl in your family with three older siblings, you grow up being their personal punching bag. When you also have an even younger brother, you impose the same attitude on them.
Christopher, my younger brother, is less than two years younger than me. Growing up with a sibling so close to your age, you kind of become one and the same. Throughout my childhood, my little brother was my best friend, even though I never would have admitted it.
I remember when we were young and how annoyed I was that he wanted to do all the same things that I did. When I started to like a video game, so would he. When I had friends come over, he wanted to follow. When he was going into middle school, he went through a short “bratty” phase. It drove me absolutely insane.
But that didn’t negate all the good times I had with him as well. We would stay up late and play videogames together. We went outside every single day to hang out with our neighborhood friends. Even though I wasn’t much older, I still felt an obligation to look after him in all the things we did.
When we stopped going to the same schools, we didn’t talk as much. I became quite busy and there were some weeks when I didn’t say a word to him. I centered my attention outside of the realm of my home and towards my early high school life. Although I was happy, I saw very little of my younger brother and I felt somewhat neglectful.
But with age, my little brother didn’t stop wanting to do the same things I did, and ended up joining cross country when he came to high school. Although at first I felt a little worried about my brother coming into the sport, and it was also kind of strange seeing him outside of home, it ended up being a blessing. It touched my heart to see my younger brother find happiness in the sport that was so dear to me, and it was also pleasant to be around him more often. I’ll never forget when he first joined cross country, and all of my teammates being shocked that he was my brother because “we look nothing alike!”
To this day it brings me genuine joy to see him being passionate about the sport I introduced him to. He is truly such a vehemently determined athlete, and I can see it through his rapid improvement. But he isn’t just an driven athlete. He is one of the most genuine people I have ever known. I’m so blessed to have a younger brother who I have always gotten along so well with. He is kind, patient, intelligent, and destined to do so much with his sincere heart. I’m so grateful for his loyalty, because I know that if I need him to do something, he will. I hope that he knows that I’ll always do the same for him. In fact, he is probably the only person on this Earth that I would do absolutely anything for.
With that, it astounds me that my little brother is already 17. It throws me off because in my eyes, he will always be my 10 year old brother who followed me around all the time, but I know that he doesn’t need to do that anymore. Whatever he decides to do in life, I know that he will succeed.
To Christopher, on your birthday, I have to thank you for inspiring me to not just be a better big sister, but a better person. Stay true, and stay golden my little brother!
