An Open Love Letter to My Little Sister:

A few weeks ago I thought it would be nice to post my old journal entries from my time abroad in a series called "Destination." I failed miserably, I only posted a few entries and gave up. The nostalgia got to me. I decided that a better use of my time would be to compose open love letters to the people that matter most to me in the world. It is not often that we tell each other how much we truly care, how much we rely or depend on each other. I used to think that every man is an island but now I think that maybe we are more like a cluster of islands who long to reside near each other, who long to grow into bigger, interconnected islands.

 

Dear Silly,

Do you remember when we were little and you learned how to ride a bike before me or blow a bubble with your gum long before I could figure it out? One hot summer we were driving through the mountains up north with mom and dad, I’m sure sitting in the back seat alternating between torturing one another and laughing hysterically at dad doing one of his Rocky and Bullwinkle impersonations. I was feeling so frustrated that over and over again you’d chomp down on the pink bubble gum and puff your little cheeks together to make the perfect bubble and for some reason—I just couldn’t do it. But instead of teasing me you pursed your lips together and created a monster of a bubble and then whispered in my ear while you handed it to me. You said “Here, hold it up, show mom and dad and pretend that you made it.” You were my little sister and you were protecting me, lifting me up, making me a better person. And that’s how it’s always been. You’ve always been the quick learner, the first one to jump in, the trail blazer—while I chew on a problem and take my time to figure it out—you always seem to know instantly what to do. It’s almost as if you held out your arms and carved a path for us in this world, you pushed your way through the ups and downs, the hard stuff first and created a shadow that I could always follow. You are my little sister but to me you will always be bigger in heart, bigger in courage, bigger in your determination to take a hard knock and jump back up again.

I love you.

Xoxo