Ten Days of Thanksgiving – Day 9

Growing up, my brother and I had a very rocky relationship. We could be best friends one day and mortal enemies the next. We are just 14 months apart so we really know how to get on one another’s nerves.

I had a really hard time adjusting when he started dating his now fiance. They began dating during his sophomore year of high school and he started spending a lot of time with her. It was hard for me. My best friend and biggest male role model in my life suddenly had a life apart from my family. I had to adjust to him not being around as much.

Luckily, I adjusted and my brother and I entered into a different phase of the brother-sister relationship. It’s a more mature, steady one.

We have had some pretty awful fights over silly things or miscommunications, but we get over them rather quickly and don’t let them fester. We share an extreme love for football and comedy movies and sarcasm. He knows exactly what I’ve been through with my dad and can connect with me on a level nobody else can. We often communicate in movie quotes. I have been known to answer the phone saying, “Brother?” To which he replies, “Brothers don’t shake hands. Brothers gotta hug!”*

My brother is one of my favorite people on the planet. I get excited when I know he’s coming over and revel in the bonding. He’s the best male role model in my life and I honestly couldn’t ask for a better one. He’s responsible, an incredible father, charming, funny, and tries so hard to be the best man he can be. He’s only 25 but so much more of a man than my father ever was. (Or will be.)

I am thankful for our relationship and that we have nurtured it into what it is today. He remains one of my best friends and someone I can go to about any problem. He may not have all the answers, but he’s the rock I need when things are shaky.