gratitude :part II

I am so thankful for having had a sibling. My brother is six years older than me, and of course there were times when we didn't get along, but growing up would not have been the same without him. He paved the way for me in this sometimes scary world. There was no one else to give me a heads up on how things would be, either at school, in the neighborhood, at home...When my parents argued, he would be the one to turn to. He made me feel safe and secure, and he was always proud of me beyond what I'd earned. We entertained each other and shared private jokes, like when he'd fart, and my parents had company, he'd say "quick, help me sniff it up so they won't notice." (I guess you had to be there). There were times when he was my best friend, and believe me, I was highly annoying (especially when I was 6 or 7 and he was just entering junior high). He always let me tag along, despite my irritating qualities, and he protected me from any outside influences that seemed threatening. All of my memories include him, from trick-or-treating to wrapping easter eggs at Mr. Taylor's. I remember when I started junior high, and he was just leaving for college, how sad I was to see him go. Now we're grown and have children of our own and I'm so proud of him and how he's made it through all of life's struggles without letting the bad things get him down. I hope he will always know how much i love him and his family, and I hope and pray that each of our children can have siblings of their own, so that they may experience all of the love, joy and security with which we've been blessed!!