Dear Anders,

You recently turned 16, and that is a very big deal to me. I wished I could be there for your birthday because I miss you so much, but since I am away I decided to share some feelings that I have been heavily weighing on my heart and mind.

You are no longer the little kid aimlessly running around the house without watching where you are going; you are now older, stronger, and a leader. When I think of home, I commonly think of you. Home is where the heart is, right? Going away to college not only meant leaving my home, but leaving one of my closest friends. You are someone who sticks up for what you believe in, you don't back down and you don't let people walk over you. You are brilliantly smart and vibrant in every way. I truly believe that you can do anything, anything, you put your mind too. You are so incredibly talented in soccer, basketball, volleyball (you are killing those sets), and ultimate frisbee. You thrive at anything that requires any sort of knowledge of sports. I admire and look up to you for all of these reasons.

I love it when you talk to me about your life. Although I hate when you are hurting, I love when you confide in me because it makes me feel special. Even though you are tall, handsome, and can “do it all”, you sometimes still want to come to your older sister for some advice. I don’t think you realize how much this means to me.

Like I previously mentioned, when I think of home I think of you. I know that you have always teased me for my emotions since we were kids, so I apologize in advance if I embarrass you. But the truth is, nothing could make me more homesick than the thought of you. The thought of missing your first basketball game was enough to bring me to tears. When we were saying our goodbyes as you and our parents dropped me off at college, I was dreading the moment of having to say goodbye to you. You have done so much for me. You have put up living with me in close quarters, and you have always been willing to lend a listening ear. Thank you so much.

For a reason I cannot seem to put my finger on, whenever I think about home and think about us and our shared room I feel a sense of sadness, but also an odd feeling of warmth and love. Although, yes, we do bicker and fight our fair share, we never cease to end the night with smiles and laughter. Whether it be because we found something stupid on the internet that we thought was hilarious, or just because you simply wanted me to stay up with you while you were working on homework late into the night.

All in all, I don't want you to forget that I really do love you and care about you more than you know. I think about you a lot, and you are always one of my top people I am truly excited to see when I get home. Thank you for everything you have ever done for me. I hope you had a lovely birthday, and I wish that you will have many more amazing birthdays to come. I am so proud of the man you have become thus far, and I cannot wait to see what else God has in store for you. I love you and miss you.

Thinking of you always,

Chloe