Dear Annalily,
Last weekend you turned 13, (or as you sometimes call it, “tenty-three”).
You’ll be starting high school soon too, and I’m cringing as I write that because dear lord it makes me feel old…
I feel like I should give you my “sage advice,” being your older sister, but you already are wiser than me in so many ways. I could tell you to stay true to yourself, but you already are. In fact, you are one of the strongest people I know. I could tell you that even when you are stressed or sad or lonely, the feeling is only momentary and everything will be okay. But I know you already know that, because you’ve taught me those lessons yourself.
You are my best friend.
There’s nobody who gets both my jokes and my problems like you do.
I can shoot a single glance at you, and you’ll know exactly what I’m thinking. Even when I’m not looking at you, you can detect a single fluctuation in the timbre of my voice and promptly ask “Are you okay?” You are the only one who has that miraculous talent.
I can’t even do my homework in the same room as you because we wind up talking and suddenly the sun has set and I haven’t done anything but type the MLA format heading on my essay. But it’s worth it. Because talking to you is as natural s to me as brushing my teeth or tying my shoes.
I can never stay mad at you for more than five minutes.
You are the only one who can mercilessly make fun of me and not get punched in the face. (Mostly because, well, when you make fun of me, you are completely accurate in your judgment and I deserve to get made fun of).
Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night to check on you and make sure you are okay. Is that creepy? Paranoiac? Eh, probably. But it makes me feel better, sleep sounder knowing that you’ll be alright when the morning comes.
I know you understand. I mean, I see you do similar random “guardian angel” acts everyday. You even triple check to make sure what I’m eating is peanut-free so I won’t have an allergic reaction. We’ve got each others backs, and we protect each other.
I never fathomed just how much having a sister like you would mean to me. It’s not that I expected our relationship to be like the relationship I had with our pet goldfish or dachshunds. It’s just that I couldn’t have known what a unique bond we would have. I feel so honored and so happy to know that we’ll always have each other, no matter what.
Thank you for being my best friend.
Thank you for being my sister.
Happy Birthday Annalily.
Love, Juliet.
P.S. You introduced me to this song which I think is a perfect anthem for two sisters who double up as best friends, partners in crime. It’s on constant repeat on my computer.
