My brother is so much more than a brother to me. He is a
mentor, role model, and more than anything, he is my very best friend. He was
seven and a half when my mom gave birth to me and now, 15 and one half years
later, my brother just turned 23. It’s
amazing how much happens in 15 years of someone’s life. A few examples would be
getting a baby brother… or sister, playing a sport… or multiple, moving out of
the house… or state, making a mistake…or two, graduating high school and
getting a job… or a few, and so much more. I’ve been lucky enough to see my
brother go through most of these milestones.
Obviously, I didn’t see my brother get a little sister since
I’m the littler sister he got. I’ve just seen pictures and some videos. It was
very obvious that my brother loved me from the day I was born and I have yet to
see that love diminish. He had no problem watching me while my mom made lunch
or dinner. He didn’t whine when I needed a diaper change, and he knew that
singing “You are my Sunshine” to me put me to sleep. The same caring and loving
brother still exists in my life today, just without the babysitting, diaper
changing, and singing me to bed. Now it’s hanging out with me, helping me pick
out what to wear for a date, and being there for me when I need someone to talk
to.
Jake chose to take hockey more seriously than the rest of
his sports; baseball, soccer, and track. He was also in show choir but it was
obvious his love was in hockey. Before his sophomore year of high school, he
was scouted to play for Triple A team in Omaha, Nebraska. At age 15, he made
the courageous decision to move to Omaha and live with a housing family in
order to play for this team, the Omaha Energy. This was by far one of the
hardest times of my life with my brother. My parents, Jake, and I took the four
hour trip to Omaha to drop Jake off for his sophomore year. Saying goodbye to
my brother was beyond depressing and writing about it right now is making me
tear up. I knew losing my best friend wasn’t going to be easy but I had no way
at all to prepare for the tears, pain, and heartbreak that overwhelmed me as I
looked out the back windshield and waved goodbye for however long it was before
I saw him again.
I know I’m the person I am today because of my brother and I
wouldn’t want it any other way. I love him and he’s still the closest person to
me, 15 years later. There have been times when I thought I was going to lose my
brother, whether to a girlfriend or sport, or worse, when my brother could have
died. I’m beyond lucky and blessed to have a brother who is my best friend and
I can’t imagine my life without him nor would I want to. I love my Bubba. (530)
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