Having an older sister is a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because you have a forever friend, but a curse because you are always trying to be her.

I grew up always wanting to be like my sister. From first grade shopping in the boy's section at Kohl's because that's what she did (weird I know) to playing soccer and basketball because those were the sports she excelled in. From choosing basketball because that's the sport she chose, to wearing the same number as she did. From wearing two polos in two different colors underneath each other (weird again), to wanting to be just like her. Looks, heart, determination, goals... she had it all, and I wanted the same thing because of her.

It didn't happen until about junior year of high school that I realized I would never be her. I was my own person and I had to embrace that. I wasn't the basketball player she was. I was my own. I didn't have the direction she did, I was confused until this past year, and I learned that was perfectly normal not to know what I wanted to do with life. I realized I'd never look like her. I was my own person. I stopped being compared to her because I starting striving for things she had not. Although, I don’t really see it, people often say my sister and I look alike. Even though I am very different from her, I take it as a compliment. She’s beautiful.

Through all of those years of me trying to be just like her, she grew too. From her not being able to say, "I love you" to me as I grew up to her now being the first to always say it, she became my biggest fan. She became my coach, not only in basketball but also in life. I learned how to learn from her rather than try to be like her. And she was the best teacher I could ask for. Her struggles made her stronger, her perseverance made her smarter, and her heart made her a better person.

I am so thankful she's my older sister. She's given me the direction I need through her life. She showed me to follow my dreams, no matter how hard it can be sometimes. She's become one of my best friends. And even though we don't talk all of the time, she knows I'm always going to be there for her. She knows how much she means to be without me constantly having to tell her. She's the best blessing and curse I could ever ask for.