I am number two of four, and while I have learned a lot through the years on my own there are some things I would have never learned without my siblings.

My older sister taught me how to fit in. I did not have many friends of my own and over the years I was drawn into her group of friends.

From them I learned how to be aggressive, especially when it comes to getting what I want. They taught me a slide was great to use in softball but not so great to use in soccer. And that you can use a slide metaphorically in life but that is bad work ethic.

She also taught me what a metaphor was and prompted me to write, and as much pride as she has, she swallowed it once to tell me I was always going to be better with poetry and short stories than she was. And when your older sister say that there is no way you can argue because she has always been right before.

She taught me how to be determined, and how to play fair when getting what I want. She once tried to teach me how to blend into the crowd, but when she realized I was always going to stand out she showed me how to be the brightest color on the canvas.

My little sister taught me how to be a friend. She taught me how to keep secrets, and how to fix broken hearts.

My little sister always came to me first, and still does when she needs advice or just someone to tell her what she already knew. She taught me I will not always be the smartest, that I will not always be the prettiest and that I may not always be the best but I will always be as great as I need to be.

She helped to make me as wise as I am, because when she asks you a question you better know the answer. She taught me religion is what you make it and just because I read the Bible to her once doesn't mean either of us have to follow it.

While my older sister told me I was the better story teller, my little sister gave me reasons to tell a story. My little sister taught me to be stronger than I already was because I needed to be the wind in her sail and I couldn't do that if I was drowning myself.

My little brother taught me to pay attention to everything. I was the tomboy and because he did not have an older brother I tried to take on that role.

I stood up for him, and while I was the meanest in teasing him I was also the only one in my book who was allowed to tease him. My younger brother taught me how to fight, both fair and unfair. He also taught me to pay attention to details, video games being his tools.

He showed me how you have to balance multiple motions all together to get the reaction you want, and even if I was just him showing me how to do a flying kick in a fighting game the same could be said about life. You really need to pay attention to everything around you to make life the way you want it to be.

So thank you. From the deepest parts of me, because had I been an only child like I sometimes wished growing up, I would not be the woman I am today.