My younger brother Barton and I couldn’t be more different.
He breaks the rules and I play it straight. He is calm and I am uptight. He was the teacher’s worst nightmare and I was the teacher’s pet. He saves money and I spend it. He lives life for the moment and I have a five year plan. He is a WSU Cougar and I am a UW Husky.
Only 19 months apart, we fought over everything growing up. From who got to sit in the front seat to whether we bought chunky or creamy peanut butter, everything was an argument. Once my mom even made us make a list: “Ten reasons why I love my brother/sister.” It was torture.
Yet, as I waved goodbye to him on his journey to Washington State University this past weekend, I started to think about how much I will miss him.
When I went off to college two years ago, I expected to need the extra emotional and financial support of my parents, but I didn’t give a second thought about needing my little brother’s love and support.
My departure to college ended up bringing my brother and I reasonably close. We started to have pleasant phone conversations about each other’s lives and enjoyed each other’s company when I came home. We would even give each other advice – I had no idea how smart my brother was
Now, as I am forced to give him up to the real world (or at least the college world), I find myself reflecting upon our past.
He was there for my first day of preschool, my first school dance, my first boyfriend and my first broken heart. He was dragged to every ballet recital, soccer game and graduation. He was there to be my friend when our family moved from California to Washington. He was there to stand next to at our grandmother’s funeral.
And he will be there.
He will be there to watch me graduate from college and start my own life. He will be there to watch me stumble into this hectic world while I try to get my feet grounded. He will be there to see me get married and start a family of my own. He will be there to share in the joy and the pain that life inevitably brings and he will be standing next to me as we watch our parents age.
Maybe I need him more than I thought. Maybe we need each other.
Aside from my parents, my little brother has known me longer and more in-depth than anyone else in the world. Over the years, he has evolved into more than my only brother. He has become a friend, an inspiration and a great comfort in my life.
I have come to realize that friends come and go, but siblings last forever. Cherish yours. You will need them someday.
Heather Reese is a news intern at The Enterprise Newspapers.
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