They are awesome.

Siblings are a little weird. One moment you all are slapping one another and the next they are the light of your life. Often they “borrow” your favorite pair of tennis shoes and spill red paint on them or steal your cell phone charger when that cute boy from science class is texting you and the battery is at an all-time low. Then, out of the blue, they snuggle up to you on the couch and a serene stillness, that only someone special can create, overcomes you. The pop splashed in your face is forgotten, the early morning fist fight ignored, and the five dollars that "disappeared" is put on the back burner, at least for now. Suddenly, even if only for a brief breath, they have captured your entire heart once more.

My sibling squad consists of five bossy sisters and one jokester of a little brother. There are, of course, the typical rivalries of front yard baseball games, late night hide-and-seek, and of course, who is Dad’s favorite, but nothing or no one could ever come between the ever-so-lucky seven. I will forever be thankful for the four in the morning shouting matches, lost expensive earrings, breaking of nice sunglasses, and disappearing eye shadow brush. My siblings mean the world to me, and oh-so-much more!

If I am being honest here then I must admit that there have been times when I have not felt this way. I have not been grateful for my six wonderfully loud and annoying siblings. I have screamed for all of the wrong reasons and regretted caring more about that bad friend more than my little sis. I realize now just how selfish I have been in the past when I should have been thanking the Lord for gifting me with the truest and realest relationships I will ever have. When I allow myself to think of the only children out there a sadness overcomes me. They will never feel this connection, and I now know just how lucky I truly am. I allow myself to imagine a world without my crazy crew and then I am hit with the fact that my world would cease to exist without them.

This is for all of you with siblings out there that drive you crazy, but you love them anyway because they are awesome! The following are the reasons to be thankful for our siblings…

1. They are obligated to love you.

This is way too true. Every single one of your siblings is obligated to love you for all of your flaws and quirks. The way you slurp your spaghetti may drive them nuts, but they will still be in for a late night drive up the road. Your taste in music may suck, you probably lost their favorite red ball when you were six, and maybe you made them cry for no reason at all, but hey, they will still curl up and binge watch a whole season of "Grey’s Anatomy" in one night if you are up to the challenge. I will always remember John 15:12, “Love each other as I have loved you.” My siblings and I do so every day, every hour, and every minute. I will love them for forever, even when we are old and gray. Thank you for loving me with your whole heart, even when I borrow your good jeans without asking first.

2. They can never leave you.

Basically, our siblings are stuck with us for the rest of our long lives. Now, I don’t mean they won’t drive off and leave you at the local Walmart, cheer practice, or Arby’s because we all have those arguments, but they will come back, eventually. We will remain attached at the hip for as long as God is willing. Friends come and go, boyfriends fade, but not siblings. They will be there to catch you when Monday stole your sunshine and life is getting you down, which may be because you all share a bedroom or possibly because they feel obligated to do so. Either way, blood is blood and that means something. We have one another’s backs no matter if they are right or wrong. Hebrews 13:5 states, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Though the Lord is always near I truly believe that he places individuals in our lives to guide, love, and protect, and my people are my sassy siblings. Never will I leave them, unless they make me mad and I have the car keys. Thanks for never leaving me or at least coming back for me.

3. They make you, you.

Everything wrong turn we take, good grade we make, and tear we shed makes us who we are. Every bad friend we stay with, guy we love, and teacher that educates shapes and forms us. Our siblings share in our creation. They mold our minds and critique our every move from the first step to that essay for history and the hideous boy you had a crush on last year. God knows our path and gives us treacherous obstacles that only special people can guide us through. Job 3:10 says, “But he knows where I’m going and when he tests me I will come out as pure gold.” Our siblings make us better people, better versions of ourselves. Our siblings make us shine, they make us pure, and they make us golden from the inside out. Thank you for making me, me. I turned out pretty great.

Thank you for sharing the last bowl of cereal when we were fresh out of milk. Thanks for washing my hair, pulling my uniform over my head, teaching me to ride a bicycle, and keeping my secrets from Mom. Thank you for sharing your pillow, blanket, pants, socks, and bras. Thanks for teaching me how to pitch and pretending that I am good for my sake. Thanks for driving out of the way for a drink from Sonic, trips to the dollar store so I can gripe, and random movie trips 10 minutes before they start. Thank you for purchasing every type of medicine we could find when Nana was not there to baby me and making me feel better when I literally cannot deal. Thanks for breaking the news to Dad, hugging me for too long, and sleeping with me when I am scared. Thanks for being awesome!

Shout out to not only my six wonderful siblings, but to all of you out there! We should all let our brothers and sisters know how much we love and appreciate them for simply being there. God has given each of us such a loving gift, and we should all be thankful for their obligated love, forever presence, and forming hand.