You were silly when all I knew how to do was be serious. You were my rock when I felt unsteady. You were my world when I knew nobody else around. You have seen where I've been and you believe all the places I have the potential to go. When there was nowhere else for me to turn you gave me new directions to follow. Growing up I only saw you as a sister but as I come into my own I learn to value you as my dearest friend.
Our childhood was chaos. Constantly moving around, going to new schools, having to make new friends; you were my stability then. We were able to rely on each other in these new environments for safety and comfort. There was never a rush to go out on our own and meet new people; we could do that together. We were constantly finding new ways to make the best of our situations and never felt alone in this giant world we live in. We had our fights, all siblings do. We got sick of each other and we found some personal time. I had your back and you had mine.
Extended family has always been distant. We lived far away and found it hard to relate to people we only shared blood with. Being family, to us, has never meant just sharing a name. Being family has nothing to do with where we come from or who we get to spend time with. At an early age, it was easy for us to tell those that cared from those that didn't. There were those that made the effort to have a relationship with us, and those who kept their distance. We found that we were the ones who determined our fate in regards to who we were going to keep close to. There were no obligatory reunions, no awkwardly quiet interactions, no pinched cheeks or uncomfortable hugs. We saw the way that certain family members would seek us out and try to maintain contact, while others disappeared with the distance. We took that lesson and decided that we wanted to be more than just sisters. We decided that we were going to be closer than that. We chose to be friends.
These days we're thousands of miles apart and taking charge of the chaos on our own. I'm learning to branch out and be more personable. I am exploring new places that you would have hated. I am discovering my work ethic and all of my career possibilities. I am learning my flaws and how to fix them on my own, because my safety net is now supporting herself. Most importantly, I now know that I will never suffer the loneliness I feared as a child leaving home. Saying goodbye to you is always so hard, but I now know that I will never be facing the world without you waiting somewhere to support me. You will always be an open ear for my suffering. You understand where I have come from and how I have been knocked down before. You will stand me back up, whether I want to or not, and you will set me back on the path you so long ago helped me discover. I look forward to sharing our stories when we are finally reunited and cannot wait to see where life takes you.
