My sister Caroline just had her birthday last week.

Usually when this happens, I go through the motions of figuring out what small gift to give her and what to write on her card. There are so many things I could say, but an extremely limited amount of space on which to say them. This cycle repeated itself one again last week.

My sister and I are 17 months apart in age (I being the older one), and we have a bond that I cannot imagine being without. It's strange how similar yet dissimilar we are, but I couldn't imagine it being any other way. We are practically inseparable and communicate with each other every day (technology works wonders), thus leaving me at a loss for words when I have to think of something clever to say in a card.

Being away from my sister (she attends a university in Orange County) can be difficult at times. My first year of college was especially hard, not only because of the new environment I was thrust into, but also because I couldn't just barge into my sister's room and bother her while she was doing homework. I had to learn to adapt and not rely so much on familiarity in order to help me get through a tough freshman year.

Even with all this instant communication at my fingertips, it's not the same as being there in the same room. As much as I dislike human contact, I truly do miss it when it concerns the people I love. If I can't physically be there with the person, I feel like something's missing. A proxy or imitation just doesn't cut it for me.

So to my big little sister: Caroline, I miss you all the time, but I understand that we must spend some time apart so that when we are together, it makes it that much more special. Though I get lonely quite often, I remember that I will always have you, no matter how far apart we are.