Dear Penelope,

You are one spicy little girl...just like your older cousin (me)!! One thing I know for sure is that the day I first met you I never knew that your sweet voice and funny personality would change my life the way it has. The first day I met you, you ran up to me and gave me a hug, telling me "Merry Christmas", and since that day you've held my heart.

Every single day I see you is another day that your tiny voice erases my worries from my mind and gives me a hope in the future of this world. The time I get to spend with you reminds me of the greatness that is to come for the future, and it reminds me that I, too, belong in that future as well. When I see you I feel like I am wanted by at least someone in this world. I feel like the worries that I have about college or life in general don't mean anything because you are happy.

You were and still are such an amazing gift to everyone that has the opportunity to speak with you or even get one little hug. I can tell you for sure that singing wheels on the bus with you on the couch was one of the greatest memories that I have in my mind in general. For so long I only knew you as different pictures on your mom's instagram and I never really thought I would get to know you any better because you lived so far away. But as soon as you moved closer, you turned into one of the greatest blessings in my life.

I believe that in life, people always come and go for a reason and I believe that you came into my life at the perfect time, in order to show me that despite any struggle I may be experiencing, there is still goodness and happiness in the world somewhere. That goodness is in your heart, Penelope. From now until the day I leave this earth I will always be right by your side, showing you hilarious jokes and pranks to pull on the entire family.

Since the first time I met you, I could just tell by the look in your eyes that you were going to become an amazingly phenomenal woman. Regardless of any setbacks or trials you may experience within your life, the look in the depth of your eyes shows dedication, courage, and extreme promise in anything in life that you choose to dedicate yourself to. I hope that when you're reading this, you still remember who I am and how much happiness, love, and comfort you brought my broken soul at the best time you ever could have.

I look forward to watching you grow up and continue to develop into the person that I know will literally change the world. I am so excited for your future because I know that you are going to KILL it. And when you don't, or you feel like you don't, I want you to open up this letter and remember the words that I am telling you right now.

You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

I love you now, forever, and always.

Your older cousin,

Bri