little sis turns 23

Today is the day, when I was a mere 15 months old, my lovely little sister was born. Two sisters could not look so different, and my paternity began to be questioned and has been ever since that day.

Our love/hate relationship began early, documented faithfully on video. I thought she was my little dolly and loved to undress and dress her and force her to be my sidekick in our cardboard box 'car'. Of course, she had to sit in the back. I'm the driver! She still has a piece of lead in her collarbone from the time I stabbed her with a lead pencil in anger.

She was also always my faithful playmate. We pretended to be indians in our backyard and make face paint by grinding up grass and water. We would go on family ski trips and we'd be in and out of the trees together, me trying to catch up to her death defying speeds. Nickname: 'Lil Tonka. We went to summer camp together--she always the popular one, chasing off the boys.

In High School, she had a reputation to live up to, and poor girl, I wasn't always the best example. We shared clothes, rides to school, burnt CD's, joints and rarely; boys.

Now, 23 years later, I consider us best friends. It took a while. I think it was when we both left home to go to University on opposite sides of the country. We made our own lives, separatley, but missed being together. We needed the distance to realize how much we really liked just hanging out and being there for each other.

I definitley have grown to admire my sister in so many ways. She's been through a lot, and made it through, becoming confident and self-assured-- even if she may not always be feeling that way, she projects that aura and it's very powerful. She forgives herself more than I sometimes do, and is generous with others--sometimes to a fault. She knows her boundaries and is not afraid to tell others when they are infringing on them. She enjoys life, and lives fully in the present--still looking to navigate her future, to become the sucessful young lady (**sniff, I sound like a mom!) she is fully evolving to become. As many of my friends have observed, I'm a better person when she's around. So from the shitty half person I am currently, her being halfway across the world, I am sending my love out to my boobie, wishing her a Happy 23rd Birthday. Things only get better from here babe!

xoxoxo
Your Sis