Brother, I feel like I have so much to say to you. I see you fairly frequently; I don’t live too far away; I text you to catch up sometimes; and yet, I feel like I haven’t recently told you everything you deserve to hear.

You’re so talented. I know I often tell you that (and I tell others that while I’m bragging about you), but I’m not sure you realize the extent of what I mean. You do so many things, and you do them all well. You somehow manage to be knowledgeable about and dedicated to so many different things, whether they be responsibilities or simply hobbies. You find the time to care about everything in your life, and you excel at them, too. You’re always looking to improve at things and learn more and more about things. It’s impressive.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Again, you do a lot, but I don’t want you to feel too pressured. You’re doing great. And even if you weren’t, it’s okay to not being doing great at things all the time. Things will always come together and resolve in the end. All you have to do in life is your best, brother.

I’m so glad we’ve gotten closer. The more time passes, the closer we get. Back in the day, we argued until we drove our parents crazy. Now, we follow each other around the house when the other isn’t paying enough attention to us, and we confide in each other like nobody’s business. I look forward to our futures.

I’m here for you. I know you’re the strong one between us, but I would honestly fight somebody for you. I’m here for you if you need support; I’m here for you if you need to vent; I’m here for you if you need advice; I’m here for you if you need help; I’m here for you if your friends need anything; I’m here for you if you need someone during the bad times; I’m here for you if you need someone during the good times; I’m here for you if you need me to defend you. There’s nothing wrong with needing somebody in your corner. There might be something wrong with my misplaced confidence in myself to be able to fight somebody, but that’s a topic we can discuss at a later time, if need be.

You’re really funny. From your deadpan exaggerations that make me cry, to your cheesy jokes that make you cry, to your snarky remarks that you really should be careful to not say around people who might not chuckle the way I do, to your updated memes (*eye roll*), you make me laugh. And you’re also good at writing funny Snapchat captions, which helps me—someone who is decidedly not good at writing funny Snapchat captions—out.

Above all, I want you to be happy. Right now, in the future, whenever. I know you have a great life ahead of you, and I hope happiness is at its center.

I love you,

Your sister