Being your older cousin is one of the best blessings in my life. I have seen you grow from diapers to broken bones to learning how to use makeup and dealing with boys. As the oldest, I have experienced everything before you. Learning to drive, college applications, and sweet 16's are all things you have come to me for advice on and I cannot thank you enough for trusting me and confiding in me. I do my best to provide you wth the advice you want and the truths you sometimes don't.
As you grow up, I am too. I am experiencing new things and meeting new people constantly, and I only hope my experiences can help guide you through this crazy thing called life. One thing I've learned however, is this world is filled with heartbreak and disappointment, but I promise I'll always be here. I will try my best to shield you from the evils of life, but when I fail I promise to be your shoulder to cry on.
This world also has many great opportunities for you. Take advantage of them, but never take them for granted. Do what you want, but always with grace, and learn to hold your head up high. Try new foods, play new sports, join new clubs and keep pushing forward. With an open mind and free spirit you will love the life you have. Explore the world, find yourself, and never look back.
In these past few years I have seen you struggle and have seen your achievements. I can honestly say that I am so incredibly proud of the women you both are becoming. How you hold yourself with class and handle yourself when you get knocked down are things I admire about you. You have aspirations, hopes and dreams, and I know that if you stay on the path you are on, you will become successful women and achieve all you set out to do.
I can only hope that as we move on with our lives and begin to enter adulthood we still stay in touch. Soon we will be in college, miles apart, and I hope to see you prosper. When we start our own families I hope our children are as close as we are. I hope to tell them endless stories of the memories we have shared and let them create their own. We may be growing up, but we will never grow apart.
