If I had a magic genie to grant me one wish, I’d wish to give my older sister an older sister as good as she was to me. For those who have never experienced what life is like having an older sister, I’m sorry. For those who have, you’re a part of an elite club, and you know as well as I do: There is nothing in this world like the love of an older sister.
It is truly one of life’s greatest blessings, and that’s an experience I wish she could have had, too. My whole life I’ve looked up to her. I wanted to be just like my big sister. I lost my mother when I was very young, so she took on a motherly and sisterly role for me, and she did a hell of a job. There’s no one that could have done it better. If you have an older sister, the blessings I’m about to explain are going to sound very familiar and like a little piece of your childhood brought back to life. It’s that warm, fuzzy feeling when your favorite person comes to mine.
The role of an older sister is not for the weak. They are the chosen ones. They are the leader. They go through things first so they can guide you through it; give you advice, show you the way. Their love is like no other love in this world. They are magic, and they don’t get enough credit. When I think of my older sister, I feel an immense surge of pride for the woman I get the honor to call mine. Older sisters are built differently. They are queens, one of a kind.
Growing up, we shared a room. I’m sure she hated it, but I loved it. I always got to see what cool things my sister had. She caught me more than once trying on her clothes or playing with her things, anything and everything I found of hers, I was curious about. She had that special sixth sense; you know which one I’m talking about and would rush through our bedroom door yelling at me for whatever I had messed up or mischief I was getting into. I was the perfect little sister to her perfect big sister.
She understands our family dynamics. It’s not something I have to hide from her because she experienced it, too. She gets me like no one else, and I never feel judged by her. She went through it first, so she knows. She supports me. She loves me, but she’s also tough on me when she needs to be. She’s been there since day one and can tell me about the days I was so little and can’t remember. She is my insight and she is my rock.
I don’t know what I would do without my big sister. She has made sacrifices for me that as a child, I took for granted, but as an adult, I am in awe because I wonder how she did it as gracefully as she did it. She enrolled me in gymnastics and tennis lessons. She made sure I didn’t miss out on things that every kid should get to experience even though I didn’t have my mom around. She did this all while being a kid herself. How did she know how to do it all? She should have had someone that did those things for her, too.
I watched her become a mom herself, the best mom, and the way she loves her own kids transports me back to my childhood. Sometimes, I think I had less than other kids growing up. Then, I look at her, and I see because of her I had all I needed and then some. I have at times questioned how much she spoiled her kids. Looking back, I wish I could take those feelings back because I know her whole goal in life is to give her kids a life she didn’t have. I can see that clearly now, and I was lucky to be her trial run, her honorary first kid.
If you are one of the luckiest ones that has had the same experience as an older sister like mine, consider yourself truly blessed in this life. Not everyone gets that blessing, and not everyone gets blessed with an older sister as good as mine. She is one in a million, one in a billion. I will spend the rest of my life trying to give her what she gave to me. I could have a hundred lifetimes to try and know I would come nowhere close. She did the impossible. She is my favorite person. She is my built in best friend. She is heaven sent, my greatest blessing. In a world that is constantly changing around me, she has always been my solid ground. I will forever be indebted to that woman and thank God for her every single day. So, to my older sister, thank you…for everything. LYLAS 😉
The proof is in the rewrite. Here’s to redefining priorities, embracing life, and healing out loud.
Xo-J.
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