Dear little sissy,

You’ve made it to the home stretch. You are finally a senior in high school, and I know that you are more than ready to leave. High school is definitely a roller coaster and college is the same way. I’ve finally finished my first year of college and before you know it, it will be your turn. It seems like just yesterday I was in your shoes and I was counting down the days until graduation. This last year of high school is going to be tough, there is no doubt about that. College applications will stress you out. The SATs will make you cry. And after all of that, you won’t be in our town anymore. Mom and Dad won’t be right down the hall your bedroom door. Your unsupervised life will be filled with temptations, trials and tears. But you can handle it. And even though I'm still learning how to handle life on my own, I want to help you through it as best I can.

I wish I could make school come easy for you, I wish I could make sure you always had a friend by your side, that boys would always treat you right and life would be fair. But life isn't like that and I can't change it. No one can ever change it for me. Like I did, you are going to have to learn to deal with life as it hits you and you are going to have to prepare for some big changes soon. Despite all of these challenges that you're going to face-- high school and beyond-- I've never been more confident in anyone else in my life. I know you can handle it better than anyone I know.

Even though I'm your big sister but I can honestly say I look up to you. You have already faced so many difficult challenges and you have handled them so much better than how I would have. When I look at my daily challenges sometimes I even think of what you would do.The best piece of advice I can give you before you graduate is to listen. Listen to your teachers, listen to your friends, listen to our parents. Even listen to me, I have a vast range of experiences and mistakes that you can surely learn from and do the opposite of what I did.

Even though we will be apart in a little while, with you still in high school and me away for another year, I want you to know that I'll always be by your side even though we're miles away. And when it is your turn to move out, I'll be there to hug you, talk to you, and visit you as often as I can. I hope you never forget about me when we go weeks without talking and when our lives have finally moved in completely opposite directions. I'm always a text or a phone call away.

So, little sis, do not waste this last year of high school. When you live alone in just a few short months, never forget what it felt like to be a little kid. Even though middle school and high school sucked, you'll probably wish at some point that you could go back to that. College will bring more excitement and so will adulthood, but don't lose sight of how important these final days are.

Good luck little sis, I believe in you.

Love,

Your big sissy.