National Siblings Day caused me to reflect on one of the most important people in my life: my sister.

One of my earliest memories is of my sister telling me jokes in an attempt to get me to laugh after I slipped, fell, scraped my knee, and began to cry.

One weekday when I was in third grade, I came home to learn my sister was stuck in a school lockdown. A teacher thought she heard gunshots (it turned out to just be a few chairs that fell over). I was afraid I would never see my sister again. I was relieved when she returned home, unscathed, and I cried.

I don't remember all of the toys my sister conned me out of when I was a child. Those toys weren't important. Sisters are.

A short while ago, my roommates had a brief discussion over the worst things that could happen to them. "The worst thing that could happen to me is my mom dying," one said. "The worst things that could happen to me is my mom dying, then my brother dying," the other said. My immediate thought was that the worst thing that could happen to me would be my sister dying.

I write a lot. Often my writings involve my sister. I noticed this once as I was writing a poem about my sister's wedding. "I should write about other things," I thought. I've come to realize people write about things that are important to them. Writing is a mirror reflecting their feelings.

My sister: the first friend life gave me. I can't forget her.