It’s funny. I tell you so much about my life, but there is so much that I haven’t told you, or at least that I haven’t told you enough of. You have changed my life, and you’ve changed me. I can’t thank you enough for it. It’s hard to put into words everything you’ve done for me, so I hope this will be a good start.

First, I want to thank you for being my role model. I know it used to drive you crazy that I’d copy everything you did, and I can definitely see why. It must have gotten old to have a shadow so often. Thank you for letting me be that shadow anyway. When it came time to stop copying you exactly, I still had someone to look up to. I knew I couldn’t be you, but I could be like you. You’re still my role model. I look to your morals, values and ethics to help me find and maintain mine. I see your determination in accomplishing goals and reaching for dreams, and I strive to have that same determination. I see you treating others with kindness and being honest; I see how loving and compassionate you are. I try to encompass these same qualities. There are a million things I see in you every day, and they all help guide me while I continue to discover the person I want to be.

Thank you for helping me through all my firsts. My first crush, my first heartbreak, my first time wearing makeup—I would’ve been lost without you. You were there for me on my first day of elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. My first fight with my friends, my first experience with peer pressure, and my first time being homesick: you were there through everything.

Thank you for always supporting me. Whether it was a soccer game, a track meet, a play, or an honor society induction, you came to events as often as you could. You support any accomplishments of mine, and that means the world to me. Thank you for being there. Thank you for taking my side, thank you for listening to me, and thank you for encouraging me to feel proud of myself.

Thank you for all the fun memories. We’ve had some weird adventures, and I wouldn’t have wanted to have them with anyone else. Thank you for the heart-to-hearts, the dance parties, and the sleepovers. Thanks for making s’mores in the microwave, for the car rides where we sang at the top of our lungs, and for the shopping trips. You always know better than I do what looks good on me! Thank you for all the times we snuck candy, for the times we rode our bikes together, for the hula hoop contests, for playing dress up, and for playing with dolls with me even though you outgrew them before I did. Thank you for the late nights where we’d stay up talking about life, and thank you for all the times you’ve made me smile.

Thank you for keeping my secrets and giving me advice; I know I can trust you with anything, and you always know the right thing to say. Thank you for being honest with me. I know I can be pretty stubborn sometimes, but I so appreciate you forcing me to look at a situation for what it really is. Thank you for making me realize when I’m blowing something out of proportion. Thank you for drying my tears. Thank you for helping me figure out how to fix things. Thank you for laughing with me, and thanks for the inside jokes. Thank you for forgiving me for my mistakes; thank you for loving me unconditionally.

Thank you for teaching me to love myself. You’ve always told me I was great, no matter how I’m feeling about myself at the time. If anyone said something to put me down, you’ve dismissed it and told me that I am beautiful, loving, kind, and that I deserve to be happy. Just by being there, you remind me constantly that I am loved. You have taught me that no one else can determine my self-worth, and you’ve taught me to be proud of who I am. You’ve reminded me to embrace my quirks. You’ve showed me that it’s great to be different. Thank you for helping me be myself—completely and unapologetically.

Thank you for being my best friend. You’ve taught me so much, and I’d truly be lost without you. You continue to amaze me every day, and I love you with all my heart. I don’t tell you nearly enough that you are a truly incredible person. However, I never want you to forget that. Please remember that you deserve the world, and never settle for anything less.

I love you, and I’m so proud to call you my sister.

P.S. On a somewhat related note, sorry for all the times I stole your clothes. Thanks for putting up with me.