30 Days of Thanks: Siblings

Jane Austen once said, ‘What strange creatures brothers are!”

Well, she was right.

My brother, Andre Ricardo, was born on October 3, 1993 in Denver, Colorado. I remember the first time I laid eyes on him. He was a little red baby with a bunch of brown hair and all wrapped up in a blanket.

We didn’t get along for the first few years of our lives as siblings. Andre was probably the most annoying little brother on the planet. It was terrible to sit in the car next to him, and it was even worse to sit next to him on a plane. I remember one time, my cousin, my brother, and I were in the back seat of a car. My cousin and I were huddled on one seat as my brother was holding a booger he had just picked from his nose, threatening to wipe it on us.

When Andre was 12 and I was 17, we went to a sailing camp for three weeks. He was on a different program, so I barely saw him. He spent the summer doing water sports and snorkeling, and I spent the summer learning how to scuba dive. When we both got home, we had so many experiences that we could relate on, that I remember thinking, ‘So my brother is actually kind of a cool person.” We could finally bond, and it helped strengthen our relationship as brother and sister.

My brother has been not only my sibling, but also my friend. He is a source of endless entertainment and good old-fashioned unconditional sibling love.

As a big sister, I naturally want the best for my little bro, because he is truly one of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever had the chance to meet, and for that I am thankful.