Dear Little Brothers,
I know things have been hard without me. I know you guys miss me. I want to thank you guys so much for being so understanding, too. I had to go to college, I had to make a better life for myself, and in that, I hope I am being a good role model for you. I hope that when it is your turn to walk across that stage and receive your diploma when you graduate from high school that you, too, follow your heart…wherever it takes you!
If it takes you to college right out of high school, I’ll be there to give you pointers — whether you’re going to community college or to the Ivy League. It’s important you make the right decisions for yourself, and I’ll be there to help you make them and to give you advice along the way. If it takes you to art school, you'd better believe I’ll be the first person to buy your art to hang in my apartment. If it takes you to trade school, I’ll ask you to teach me the technicalities of whatever trade you choose. If you think education is not for you, I won’t quite understand, but I’ll do my best, and you’ll never hear judgment from me because you know yourself better than I know you.
Now that you’re getting older, I have to trust you guys to make the right decisions about your life. Choosing to go so far away for college was a hard decision for me — a decision I wrestled for a long time because being your big sister has been the most important identity for me for 16 years. I’m very proud to say I helped babysit and raise you guys — from cooking meals when Mom was at work to cleaning up your messes because you wouldn’t, and I didn’t want you guys to get in trouble. I was always there for you, and now, I can’t be there in a physical sense for you guys, so I have to trust you guys can take care of yourselves. And I know you will. I helped prepare you for these next four years of our lives.
Always remember that you are special and your place in this world is well deserved and well earned. Growing up hasn’t always been easy, and it will continue to be hard, but you must trust that the world has more in store for you than you could ever imagine. You are strong, patient, loving and kind young men, and I can’t believe the amount of lessons you teach me when I take the time to learn. All of the funny memories, all of the bad memories, from fighting over the shower and the TV remote to helping you solve your junior high love problems...
I remember and cherish it all so much.
