Dear little sister,

I cannot believe you are already a senior in high school. I can still visualize you walking the halls for the first time during my last years of high school. Now, it's insane to think that your class owns those halls now. It seems like just yesterday you were asking me to help you tie your shoes on your first day of preschool. Or you were practicing what you were going to say at your show-and-tell for the 2nd grade. I can't believe how far you have come since then; how beautiful you have become, how mature you've gotten, and how strong you've grown.

Before you get ahead of yourself, I already know what you've been thinking...I can't wait to graduate. I can't wait to take charge of my own life. I can't wait to grow up. It's an exhilarating feeling you get during your last days in high school. I know because I had the exact same feeling. I woke up every morning counting down the days until graduation. Every class assignment was accompanied with the thought that this is your last year, make it count. I thought constantly of my future days in college, even as far as daydreaming my life in my dream career. Always looking ahead, at the obstacle five miles in front of me, and never what was going on during around me. I missed out on my last chance on being a teenager, in a way. I don't want to scare you but life from here on out will move so fast. It will never feel like you have time to prepare for what is next. Soon you'll be a freshman in college getting hammered on the weekends and before you know it you will be getting ready for you first big job interview.

Can you remember when we were younger, ignorant, and carefree? Spending nights singing karaoke and watching Disney movies like the only thing we knew in life was to be a kid. Can you remember how much fun we had? Now think...did we ever care about what we would be doing in a year? No, because we were living. Living during the happy moments, tantrum episodes, weird phases, and everything else in between. Please don't over think the process of growing up because right now is the youngest you will ever be.

So, as you're going through your last days of high school, I want you to know that it's okay to not have a plan right now. It is okay to not give a crap and be stupid. It's okay to be the teenager you are during your last year of high school. I know there is a ton of pressure trying to pick colleges and figure out what you want to do after high school. But please don't dwell on that and stress yourself out for the future just yet. You will have plenty of time to do that in the next few years. Right now go to the football games decked out in spirit gear. Join a random club to meet people in your class you've never known. Blow your paycheck on that gorgeous pair of heels you will probably never wear. Do all of these not to rebel but because are still a kid and you deserve a bit of fun before you have to take on the title of an adult.

So please know that you are my little sister and I want you to live the best life possible. I was there at your birth, your first communion, your first talent show, your 8th grade graduation. I was there for you when someone bullied you, when you were too shy to make friends, when you cried all night over a stupid boy. At 19, I promise to be there at your last homecoming, your first prom, your graduation, your move in day. I promise to be there when it's your first college exam, when you feel like no one gets you, when you can't find a solution. So, be a kid and enjoy your last worry-free year because to me you will always be my little sister and I will always have your back.

Love,

Big sister