My brother graduated from high school this past May. As a gift to him and his parents, I wanted to write him a letter. I read it him at his graduation dinner. I've been asked about it several times since so I figured I'd go ahead and post it for anyone interested. After his first semester, I am proud to say he has once again impressed everyone. He got a 3.5 his first semester and made the Dean's List.
This is the letter I wrote him for his high school graduation (May 2013):
"To my brother, my friend and my partner in crime –
I’ve
been reflecting back the last few weeks over our lives together and different
memories we have made. Undoubtedly, I’ve
also been reminded of how I felt when I was graduating high school. I remember feeling sad about leaving my
friends and family, happy to be moving on to a new chapter and new beginnings,
anxious about living on my own and wondering if I could really do it, and
generally just confused about all of those mixed emotions. It’s a bittersweet time, but I promise, you
have much greater things to look forward to.
I think back on all of our times
together when we were younger and it seemed like all you wanted to do was annoy
me, but I guess that’s what little brothers are for. I remember how annoying you were on road
trips when you didn't stop talking from the time we left the driveway
until we got to our destination – most of the time just reading road signs out
loud to anyone who would listen – and I’m pretty sure you still do that
now. I think back on all the tricks you
would play on me – hanging string in my bathroom and sneaking up my stairs at
night to scare me. I recall the Superman
game – flying you on my feet and yelling “Superman!” and squishing you in the
pancake game on the bed. I remember when
you would do things, it seemed like, to intentionally annoy me – I couldn’t
understand it, but I know now it was because you just wanted my attention. Like when I would say, “Garrett, stop touching
me.” And you would say in that teasing tone while poking me in the arm, “I’m
not touching you!” I can’t even begin to
list all of the memories that I have of you and I together. I know I wasn’t always the most attentive
older sister – I didn’t always want to go outside and build a fort or play guitar
hero or watch a movie or take you out with my friends, and I’m sorry for that.
However, I do want you to know that if I
could change anything about all of the annoying things you have ever done to
me, I wouldn’t change one thing.
I’ve watched you grow from this
precious little boy into this great, young man and a brother that I am more
than proud of. You have your father’s
fiery, comedic soul - you know how to lighten up a room with your humor, but
that fiery spirit is never far away. You
have your momma’s loving heart because everyone who knows you knows that you
would go out of your way to do anything for anyone. It has been a blessing, an honor, and a
privilege to grow up alongside you and call you my brother. I have enjoyed watching our relationship grow
and develop over the years and finally get to a point where I can tell you
something and you won’t go running to tell dad right away. Although I haven’t always made the right
decisions, it has been a privilege to be your older sister and I hope, in some
way, I was able to guide you down the right path.
Take these next four years, or
however many it takes you, to enjoy, live, discover, make friends, grow, dream,
and believe firmly in whatever it is you set out to do. Just make sure that you stay rooted in your
faith – it is the essence of your foundation and I promise it will get you
through the darkest and happiest times in your life; don’t forget where you
came from – your family will always be there for you no matter what, those are
the people who will always love you unconditionally so treat them that
way. Don’t neglect to call your momma
and dad, even when you don’t want to, to tell them about the little things in
your life that no one else cares about except them. Make sure you go home
to visit on holidays – later in your life you will be glad you spent those times
with them. They will be the ones you
want around in another five or ten years when you realize they have always had
the best advice all along. Make new
friends – it is one of the best journeys in your walk through college. You will meet new people and your eyes will
be opened to many different political views, religious outlooks, opinions, and
biases – take them all in but decide for yourself what you choose to be a part
of your life. These friends will be with
you forever – invest in them, show them you care, make them laugh, and don’t be
afraid to challenge others. Also, take
pride in the classroom and in the work you do.
Demonstrate to professors your desire to learn and to be
challenged. If you have average
attendance, make average grades, and sit in the back never contributing to the
discussion, then you are just like every other average college student who just
shows up to get a degree. Do more than
that – open your ears, challenge opinions, contribute to discussions and just learn. This is my only advice to you. Know that I am always here for you, I’m one
of your biggest fans, and if you ever need me or just want to talk please don’t
be afraid to call me.
Now to the parents of my wonderful
brother – daddy and Kelly. You have both done an outstanding job of raising
such a fine, loving, kind man. Daddy you
have instilled in him the importance of hard-work. You have demonstrated to him the meaning of
being a father. And, I believe, as he continues to grow older the memories he
shared with you on those long “Highway 20 rides” will be some of the fondest
and most special memories he will ever have. He always tried to be just like you growing up – always trying to get
attention from anyone he could by making people laugh. I remember when we would laugh at him when he
would make a joke that just wasn’t funny at all, but he was only trying to be like
you. You have shown him the joy you get
out of making other people laugh and that is a special bond to share. I believe Garrett knows that although
situations weren’t always ideal and sometimes things got hard, he never doubted
whether you loved him or not. Kelly, a
momma’s love is an important one and one that can never be replaced. You have been with him day-in-and-day-out
from the beginning. He’s grown into a
lovely man, but he will always be your little boy and you will always be his
rock that he can come home to. You have
shown love to him and demonstrated the importance of loving others. Your kind heart and open door has always been
a welcoming place for anyone and I believe this is the reasons Garrett has such a big heart. To the
“steps” – Mom and Fred: although you both aren’t his biological parents, there
is no doubt that both of you also played vital roles in his life. You have both helped guide him to make the
right decisions, taught him different lessons along the way, and always been
there to lend an ear or give sound advice.
You should all be proud of the boy
you raised.
I love you, bud."
Love,
Sis
