You are my angel. I hope you never tire of me saying so. I begged the Universe for you before you arrived in this world. I don’t really remember the day you were born, but I remember many of the events surrounding it. I remember that I stayed with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Curtis (probably inaccurate) during that time, and that they brought me to the hospital. I remember Momma handing you to me and telling me that you were mine.
I remember teaching you to read and dressing you in my dolls’ clothes. I remember that you never tired of me. I remember sleeping in your bed every Christmas Eve, and waiting for you to wake up before going in the living room and digging into my stocking. I love that we’ve created a grown-up version of that tradition, and I look forward to it every year.
I love that we travel together. I can’t wait for the next adventure. I love that you love Joe and that you’ve found a brotherhood with him that you never had. I love that you and Dad have grown closer and that the three of you are closer than I ever imagined you would be.
More than all of these things, I love that you see me. How fortunate I’ve been to have a brother that never turned me in, never judged me, and grew up to be the kind of man that I will turn to in my times of need. When Momma said, “I can’t remember you two ever raising your voices at each other,” she was making an important point about our relationship. How many siblings can say that?
Thank you for being a light in my life. Thank you for supporting me through every phase, every wild idea, every insufferable iteration of the being I continue to evolve to be. You are a foundation that cannot be moved. I love you, endlessly.