When my older brother first told me he “sort of had a girlfriend,” my anxiety went into high gear. My mind began going in 100 different directions wondering who she was, what she was like and the real question: if she and I would get along. I knew that if she and I didn’t click, then there was a very likely chance she and my mom wouldn’t. I also knew that if I didn’t like her that there was no possible way she was sticking around to date my brother for very much longer.
Plot twist: rather than hating her, I loved her. I had formed this idea of who and what this girl would be in my mind and turns out she was nothing like what I imagined. Matter of fact, she was a million times better than I could have hoped for in someone for my brother. She was someone I admired, wanted to get to know and someone I wanted for my brother so much.
Fast-forward five years, and that same girl is now my sister-in-law. After two years of dating, I was ready to propose to her for my brother, just so they would be married already.
She quickly became someone I consider to be one of my best friends. Even though we live hours apart from one another I know that if i need anything she’s just a text or phone call away. I constantly blow up her phone with boy drama, pictures of clothes and pictures of my dog. Whenever something happens, whether its good or bad, she’s the second person to know. My mom is first, of course. I also value her advice and ask for it frequently. I know that whatever I tell her is in confidence and she won’t sugarcoat anything she tells me.
I'm so thankful for this girl and what she has brought to my family. I'm very thankful for who she is to and for my brother. And I'm also thankful for who she is to me. She's someone I can sing songs from Country Strong with even if we've watched the movie more times than we can keep track. Someone that will watch every Disney movie with me and love it just as much — if not more — than I do. Someone who talks just like Madea from the Tyler Perry movies with me like we have our own language. And she's also someone that I know will always be in my corner, just like I'll always be in hers.
Not everyone is as lucky as I am to have a sister-in-law as amazing as mine. Matter of fact, I don't even think of her as my "sister-in-law." I feel as if she's a sister God thought I would need later on in life rather than in the beginning. There's no doubt in my mind that without her my life would be horribly incomplete.
I love you, Sara.
