Being the youngest and only daughter in the family, I was always a little more spoiled and protected than my older brothers. I would have grown up completely different if it were not for my brothers. They may have made life hard at times, but overall they are not really all that bad.

Therefore, brothers, I would like to thank you.

I would like to thank you for making me stronger.

This is both physically and emotionally. You taught me how to fight and defend myself. However, you also taught me how to be resilient, how to recover when things get me down. This may have been learned when I was very young, but it has carried with me into my adult years, and probably the rest of my life. Without you two, I probably would not have been able to get through the difficulties in my life as well as I did.

I want to thank you for being protective of me.

When I was in high school, I would have called this a pet peeve. You were annoyingly protective and I felt like I could not do anything without you guys watching me like hawks. Looking back on it, I appreciate it. You were just trying to keep anything bad from happening to me. You were showing you loved me without saying it. Although I used to say how much I hated it, now I value the effort you put forth into making sure I was always safe.

I want to thank you for always including me.

You both made sure I was included whether it was birthdays or games, fishing or wrestling. You even played with me when I wanted to do more "girly" things, like playing with stuffed animals or crafts. You guys were good sports with me, and definitely took advantage of our height differences with monkey in the middle.

Thank you for always telling me how it is.

You never beat around the bush or sugarcoated anything with me. Of course, sometimes you did make something lighter if it were bad news, but if I was being a brat, or looked bad in something I chose to wear, or you hated my boyfriend at the time, you would not hold anything back. I appreciate that, because you taught me how to be equally as blunt, and that is a valuable skill.

Thank you for being there for me.

You were there for me as a shoulder to cry on, as a role model, and as a friend. You may have been my brothers, but you were so much more than just that. You gave me advice, and taught me life lessons. You helped me out when I could not reach the cookies, or I had car trouble. You helped me with homework and choosing a major. You have been included in so many of my life decisions, whether big or small, and have always defended me.

Lastly, thank you for loving me.

You did not love me because I am your sister and you have to, you chose to love me. You chose to be protective over me. You chose to be there for me and help me find who I wanted to be. You may not have gone to every dance recital or sports event, but you were always there when it mattered. You were there to build me up and support me. You watched me grow up into who I am today. I grew up to become me because of you two. You molded my personality. When I was younger, I looked up to you and wanted to be like you. To this day, I still look up to you both, and see how successful you are.

You both are extremely special to me, and although our childhood together was made up of many fights and name-calling, we still hugged it out. I grew up with incredible role models and experiences thanks to the both of you. I have learned copious amounts of skills and lessons throughout my 20 years because of your substantial influences.

I am proud to call you my brothers. I love you both and cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me.