30 Days Of Thanks: Amber (Sister)

Dear Amber,

           

            There hasn’t been anybody more supportive and helpful to my blog than you. I really can’t thank you enough for reading through my first draft of everything that I write. It is amazing every time that I open up an envelope from my per diem editor. There are times that I feel a little guilty sending writing that is so roughly written and not completely thought out. Then I get it back and you feel as if little needs to be changed. Then there are times that I think that what I’ve just sent you is the best thing that I’ve ever written only to realize that it needs to be reorganized and polished. I am not sure if you do, but I really appreciate your Masters in Teaching. By the way, if you send this back edited, I won’t post it.

                         For as long as I can remember, I have thought of us siblings as two pairings. I think that Arik and Heather have similar sensibilities whereas the two of us are equally similar. One thing that I have always admired about you is that you don’t sit around and dream about what could be, you make a plan to make it happen.

            What I didn’t realize until I was older was how much you stood up for me when I was younger. Small interactions in the parking lot at school when you were getting ready to drive us home. Some kid comes up and says something to me and you tell him to go away. I didn’t realize it then, but I was a dangerous combination of lazy, naïve and a pushover. Thank you for the uncountable times that you’ve tried to push me into action. I’m sorry that it took me so long.

            Did you know that when Leigha and I first started to date that she accused me of being in love with you? What I don’t think that she understood was that you were the first person in our family (including extended family) that actively tried to make something of yourself. I think that it is amazing that you started saving for college in middle school. And that you worked three jobs in high school. And won that modeling contest. All while maintaining excellent grades and a boyfriend. I didn’t do a single one of those things in high school.

            Thank you for that time that you gave me two hundred dollars in college. I was blown away that you did that for me. At that point, neither of our parents had given me anything. Thank you for being a wonderful and caring big sister. Recently, I looked in my phone log and saw that you were the second most person that I’ve called. Congratulations, you beat out my voicemail. And thanks for nothing for never returning a phone call.

Love,

Adam