Have you ever wondered why certain things happen in your life? I ask this question all the time to myself and I wish I had all the answers. There are some things in your life that are harder than others. We may catch ourselves asking the question, “Why did this happen to me?” I ask these questions when I think of my sister Angie, but only in a good way of course! My sister Angie is 34 years old and she has Down Syndrome. Angie is one of the most wonderful gifts I have received in my life. Even though she is older than me, I still look out for her and treat her almost like she is my little sister. When I was younger, I never understood why this happened to one of my family members and I would say when I was in my younger stages of life, I did not want to accept that my sister had a disability. I would get embarrassed if we were in a store and someone looked at her the wrong way. I was young and naïve and clearly did not understand at the time.

As I grew older, going to school with people with disabilities and seeing how to interact with them, I realized having a sister like Angie was a true blessing. You may be asking yourself, but how? Or why? Well let me tell you, my sister has taught me how to accept all types of people. I embraced her inner and outer beauty because she is beautiful inside and out. The way she smiles each and everyday just makes me think about all the little things I worry about and also stress over are not worth it. All in all, she is just happy to be alive. I feel like in today’s society, many people forget how to be thankful for each and everyday they have. Sometimes when I am down, she realizes when I am sad or upset and right away she comes to comfort me. She always says to me, “everything will be alright sis." She is the one person who has seen me at my worst, and still loves me for everything I am.

Do you know how hard it is to find someone who does not judge you for some of the things you have done? She never ever judges me and always reminds that I am her beautiful sister. I have never seen someone who is as proud as her to have a sister like me. She is always telling people about me and introducing me to all the people she meets. When this happens, I really say to myself, I should be the one cherishing her and showing her off because she has helped me be the person I am today. Because of her, I have won many awards in school throughout the years on being the outgoing, sympathetic person I am. But I really cannot take all the credit for how I have been shaped because Angie has been a major part of my success. Just like every other sister relationship, I do get annoyed from time to time over stupid things. But when this happens, I take a step back and realize I have it so good. I could have an older sister, who wants nothing to do with me or one who doesn’t want to spend time with me, but that is not the case with Angie. I have to remind myself that she has been an amazing big sister to me.

I will admit, I have wasted many days being angry and selfish. I am 22 now, and I am at the point in my life that all the drama and stupid stuff I would worry about does not matter to me anymore. It took me a long time to let all of that go. What matters to me now, is spending time with my family, and especially Angie because those are the moments that are going to count and the ones I will always remember. Angie makes me so proud each and everyday and she is my angel in disguise. If someone would ask me today, “If you could change something in you life what would it be?” I would say with a clean mind absolutely nothing. I do wish I had more patience with my sister and spent more time with her growing up, but sometimes it takes a little longer for people to have a full understanding of others. When this happens, you can then appreciate the person’s worth and well being and that is what I did with my sister.

I think the best type of lessons you can learn in your life are those you cannot learn specifically from yourself, but other people you come across in your lifetime. Not everyday is filled with rainbows and smiles and I am not hear to paint that picture for anyone reading this. But I will say this -- without my sister in my life, I know I would not be half the person I am today. I do not even want to think about the person I would be without her. Angie has taught me that without her even knowing, to make the best out of every situation God puts me through. I wish more people would stop worrying so much about what others think of them and take a step in my sister’s shoes for a day and see how it is to be her. Some have said to me in the past that they felt bad for me because I had a disabled sister. You know what I say to that? I feel bad for them because they clearly do not know what it is like to grow up with such a remarkable person. If you have not had the chance to meet someone with Down Syndrome before, I encourage you to do so. They are the best people with the biggest hearts. The way my sister acts and shows off her smile every single day of her life inspires me be a better person each and everyday.

Remember this -- a disability should never define a person, nor should it hold anyone back from being the person they want to be. It is a blessing to have a sister with Down Syndrome and I would never change a thing about her. In my eyes, she is perfect. Thank you Angie for being you and sharing your positivity and smile with the world.