To my big brother,

You’ve been there for me since day one, literally. There are countless pictures of us in matching outfits, finger-painting with shaving cream, dressed up on Halloween, and standing around the Christmas tree. There hasn’t been a moment in my life when you haven’t been there. From teaching me to play lacrosse in elementary school, protecting me from boys in middle school, to helping me get through sorority recruitment, you’ve helped me through many different trials.

I still remember all those elementary and middle school assignments that were meant to get us to think and get to know each other. They were always one-page essays, we always had to share them, and they always had the same prompt: “Who’s your role model, living or dead?” Everyone would get up and say Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, JFK, or some famous athlete. I’d get up and say my role model was my big bro.

So thank you, not only for being there for me for the past 18 and a half years, but also for everything you’ve taught me during those times. I think it’d take days for me to name everything you’ve taught me, but there are certain ones that stand out to me. Everyone always says you learn the big lessons in life from your parents, but I think that’s only half true. I think you learn them from your siblings too, and I learned them from you.

You taught me what real dedication looks like. Watching you strive for greatness in your lacrosse career, putting in hours of running, strength training, and practices made an impact on me. It’s not easy to get an athletic scholarship to a Division I university, but you did it. It’s also not easy to maintain an exceptionally high college GPA while you’re there, but you did that too.

You taught me that sometimes no answer is the best answer. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I asked you a ridiculous question. More often than not, rather than justifying my question with an answer, you would just stare at me in silence. I learned early on that silence sometimes speaks louder than words.

You taught me how to be tough, both emotionally and physically. As most little sisters know, growing up with an older brother teaches you to be tough. You get in fights, you argue, you wrestle, he practices his lacrosse checks and football tackles on you. You learn how to suck it up, how to fight back, and how to move on from things said and done.

You taught me when enough is enough. There’s a time to fight and argue and push for your point of view, but there’s also a point when you need to realize that it’s hopeless, wave the little white flag, and bury the hatchet. Watching you argue with mom and dad, push the limits, and everything that comes with that taught me when it’s time to let it go.

You taught me how to take things with a grain of salt. Everyone goes through different things, everyone has different circumstances, and everyone comes from different backgrounds. You taught me to never judge people and always try to look at their words and actions from their point of view and not take what others do and say personally.

You taught me to follow my passions and never give up. Things get hard, they don’t always go our way, and sometimes life throws you a curve ball. You’ve seen all those in the lifetime of your lacrosse career, yet you’ve never given up. You taught me that you have to push harder to get through the hard times and keep a positive outlook on all that happens.

You’ve seen me succeed, you’ve seen me fail, you’ve seen me break down, and you’ve seen me make stupid jokes and act like a total dork. You’ve seen me do crazy, random things that make no sense whatsoever and you’ve seen me fight about a topic that I’m passionate about. You’ve helped me see my rights and wrongs and you’ve made me a better person. You’ve seen exactly who I am, under all the insecurities, sarcastic defenses, and happy demeanor, and you’ve accepted and loved me for all of that.

Thank you for making me realize that I always have someone in my corner to back me up and help me out when I need it. Regarding that, thank you for letting me do things myself and not being overbearing and overprotective. You’ve helped me learn that what I do is my decision and those consequences are on me, but I always have someone to fall back on if I need it.

We may not have the emotional moments, deep talks, random texts, and other shenanigans that come with the brother/best friend relationship, but there’s no one else I would rather have grown up with. I would not be the woman I am today without your influence and presence in my life, and I am so grateful to have you as my brother, even if I don’t say it very often.

Love you, bro.