I had the opportunity to attend my little brothers wedding two weeks ago and it was so bizarre. Being the oldest of five kids, this was my first foray into the whole “my siblings are actually growing up and maybe I am not 18 anymore” feeling. Life just smacked me in the face and said “WAKE UP. IT’S HAPPENING.”
My brother, who is two years my junior, and I were pretty inseparable growing up. Riding bikes, building forts, playing legos. At one point my parents were doing some landscaping in the backyard and they had this giant mound of dirt delivered. Everyday after school my brother and I were out in the dirt burrowing tunnels through it. Digging out passageways in our hideout. It must’ve been dangerous because the tunnels could have collapsed, but we were so happy and when you’re a kid that stuff doesn’t cross your mind. We would come inside and every inch of us would be covered in grit. Dumping out the pockets of our jeans leaving little dirt mounds in the laundry room as we tried to shake it all off. We would climb trees trying to see who could get the highest. We would lay in the driveway under umbrellas while it was raining. Build lego houses for our cat. Watch Power Rangers. It was a great time to grow up and a great time to have a side kick.
Then puberty happened and we weren’t so close. He was a quiet and moody teenager. I was pretty self absorbed worrying about friends and boys. We ran in different groups. The two year age gap suddenly felt enormous. I remember one conversation where he asked me if I had ever French Kissed my boyfriend. Hah! Looking back I think we could have been such great assets for each other. But ah retrospect right?
Then I went to college and for whatever reason we talked more than we ever had when we were teens. Phone calls catching up and for advice. Suddenly we were friends and he had transformed into this pleasant, easy going, smart dude. It is so weird when that happens. When your younger siblings aren’t annoying anymore and start turning into real awesome people.
And this weekend he got married. My little brother is somehow old enough to be in love.
Right around the time he got back from his mission he was always asking me, “What’s it like to wake up next to the person you love everyday?” and I was just like, “Uh… it’s fine?” I’ve never been a romantic you see, but my brother on the other hand had become this romantic guy infatuated by love and loving. The ultimate romantic. He had so much love to give! Then all of a sudden this girl came into the picture that just stole his heart from the first moment he danced with her. I remember him giving me the play by play of their first date and you could just hear it in his voice.
He was hers.
Such a strange wonderful thing. To have a sibling, someone you have known their whole life, belong to someone else. This lovely girl he has chosen seems to realize how lucky she is to have found him and that is all I could ask for. For someone to love him as deeply as he loves. I never would have guessed that my younger moody video game obsessed baby brother would grow into this loving adult man, but here we are and life continues. Love you dude. I’m a pretty proud big sister.
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