Sisters are there for you through thick and thin, even if you can't physically always be together. A long drive and late nights are nothing when it comes to visiting with her. Out of everything to be thankful for, an older sister is one to cherish most. This article, in honor of Thanksgiving and my sister's birthday, lists reasons why your big sister is possibly the best thing that ever happened to you.

1. She is the only one you can be silly with and not be embarrassed.

2. She was your first best friend... and rival.
She just gets you and she knows what makes you tick.

3. She has your back.
Even though you got into a lot of fights growing up, you always knew that she would fight for her right to be the only one allowed to bother you.

4. She is a role model.
Although she hated it, you thought copying her was the best compliment a little sister could give.

5. She was your free chauffeur before you got a license.

6. No one is prepared for your combined forces.
Inside jokes, secret languages, and facial expressions? No one else understands. And sometimes, quite frankly, no one wants to.

7. She knows everything about you.
She knows about your style, your crushes, that tattoo, your deepest, darkest secrets, and more. You always run and tell her everything, long before Mom and Dad find out. If she ever wants to blackmail you, she has the most info.

8. When you need someone to vent to, you never think twice.
If Bobby broke your heart, she would break Bobby's arm and hide his body in the river.

9. You have the same distaste for many things.
Like family gatherings... or Justin Bieber.

10. She traumatized you, perhaps preparing you for the trials to come.
She did things like play ominous recordings of children singing nursery rhymes. All you could do was sink further into your covers. There was no way you were sleeping that night.

11. She loves you.
Despite everything you ever got away with and blamed her for.

Or maybe not.