As your older sibling, I have had the honor of watching you grow up right before my eyes. I was there for all of your firsts. The first time you learned to ride a bike. The first time you lost a tooth. Your first soccer game. Your first goal. Your first boyfriend. Your first heartbreak. Through all the good times and the bad times, it has been amazing experience watching you grow up.

Now you are about to graduate high school, another milestone in your life that I am happy to be a part of. So I will start by saying congratulations! You have survived high school. You chose a career path. You decided on what school you want to attend in the fall. You’ve found your future roommates and are ready to start out on this new journey. And now, you are wishing your final moments of high school away. As your older sister, I am telling you to stop. Stop right there.

Do not wish away your final moments of high school. You cannot get them back and trust me, someday you will want them back. Senior week. Prom. Graduation. These will be some of your fondest memories when you look back on your high school experience. Cherish every single moment. Cherish your friends and your classmates. You won’t see a good portion of them again after graduation.

Enjoy the summer. Spend time with family and friends. Go on adventures. Go to as many graduation parties as you can. Have the time of your life at your own, as I look on jealously wondering where all my graduation money went. Make the most of the final moments you have left in the town you’ve called home all your life. Because before you know it, all of your life will be packed into boxes and you will be wondering how time went by so fast.

You will be nervous, scared, excited, and anxious. You will have so many questions and concerns. Lucky for you, you have an older sister who has experienced two full years of living away at college and is here to answer all those questions and concerns. I will be there to ease your nerves and get rid of your fears. I will do my best to make you as prepared and as excited as possible for this new life you are about to embark on.

I am so very proud of you and so excited to see where this life takes you. Words cannot describe how lucky I am to have you as my little sister. Watching you grow up is something I will cherish forever. But now you are grown, and I am both sad and happy. You have turned into an incredible young woman and you should be very proud of yourself. Although I am no longer witnessing you grow up before my eyes, I will always be watching and supporting you for the rest of your life. Congratulations again, and good luck with your future. I love you.