To my baby sister.
Erica Elise
20 years ago, at 8:01 am you entered into this world and made it a more beautiful place with your first breath. You always felt like my “baby”, instead of sister. If you cried incessantly for the babysitter, you would stop when I took care of you. With a 7 year age difference, I don’t remember us playing together all the time. But you know what I do remember…yes, you DO know. And I am going to blog about it! 😀
We could dance. A lot. Cue the Neil Diamond. Erica in a saggy diaper. Us in front of the video camera. Watching ourselves on tv. We had our own rhythm and I loved to choreograph all of your moves. okay, Erica, get up. GET UP! Erica starts bouncing to the beat (see, you always have been more musically inclined).
And if we weren’t dancing we were down in the lake searching for frogs or catching fish. Once we caught them, Karissa would squeeze their guts out of their mouth. She just loved frogs that much. 😉
From our Lion King lines, Pumba this stinks!, to our memorization of Lil Rascals, Dear Darla, we really complemented each other well.
When I went away to college I felt like I missed out on so much of your transformative years. Suddenly you played the flute, and then just as quickly you mastered the french horn. You had a way with music that stills blows my mind. It speaks to you and moves you. It’s such a privilege to hear you play.
Somewhere along the way, it all gets rather gray at this point, you evolved from my baby sister into my best friend. You’ve been there for me through the good times and the sad times. You’re there to catch nightcrawlers with me and go toading on the road. You understand and love fireflies as much as I. You crave those summer sunsets on Nelson Lake and being alone at the island, but will gladly share a paddle boat ride with your big sis.
You are one of the most giving, caring, helpful, sweet human beings I have ever met. Not to mention your intelligence. We won’t even go there. You live life with such joy and try to bring happiness and a smile to everyone you meet. And you accomplish that goal. Actually, you accomplish any goal you set for yourself. You are determined, dedicated and loyal. Who gets up at 5am to practice horn during the school week? This Erica.
I know it’s weird to hear all of these amazing things about yourself, as you usually are complimenting others. But it’s your turn today. It’s your day. You deserve all the praises and love in the world. Not just today, but everyday. It’s no surprise that you are surrounded by a wonderful group of friends and many best friends since pre-school.
Happy birthday my sweet baby sister. I’m so proud of the person you’ve grown into. You are a beautiful soul, inside and out.
All the love in the world…
Anni
p.s. You’ll have a YouTube video of your gift early next week. 🙂
