17 Days of Thankfulness

I knew this would happen. I knew it.
I would say that I will write each day until Thanksgiving about the things I am thankful for. Well just like New Year’s resolutions, that consistently fail after half a week, I have fallen behind. BUT that doesn’t mean that I am giving up, I just will have some gaps along the way. So to make up for this week’s thankful things that I missed due to my trip to Las Vegas, I will get you caught up (Tuesday-Monday):

#17: Sisters: I just stumbled upon a post from one of my friends, Luke, that inspired this one. It read: “SISTER WEEK: If you have a sister (or sisters) who has made you laugh, punched you, stuck up for you, drove you crazy, annoyed you, hugged you, watched you succeed, saw you fail, picked you back up, cheered you on, wiped your tears, calmed you down, made you strong & is someone you are proud to have in your life, re-post this if you have a sister you love!!”
(Side note: Luke is the lead singer of an excellent band, A Cool Stick, and just released their most recent EP "Bird's Eye View" this past week and it is amazing. I highly HIGHLY recommend you checking out his site and try to see them perform live! It’s always great to see good ol’ Loyola peeps doing big things. And it’s a plus when they are successful at being a very talented bunch of bros.)
So clearly, being born the brother of two great sisters and then being fortunate enough to add four more throughout the years, I had to show my love for mis hermanas.


Being able to be thankful for such wonderful people is truly something special. Being the youngest of all my siblings, I often found myself being appreciative specifically of my older sisters who were always there for me. I can remember way back in elementary school I was given an assignment to write an essay about someone special in my life. I decided to write about my two sisters, Emily and Erin and separately lists all of the things that made them such great sisters. I highlighted events where they individually stood up for me or simply times where we had a good time together. And being that I was only 11 years old at the time, I felt my introspective words were genuinely accurate-- even to this day. I sealed the essay off with specific photos of all three of us throughout our lives. Photos that will forever be linked to that specific essay for both them (as it was before the time of digital photos or scanning images). Each year I get the chance to visit my sister, Emily's house during the holidays to see my nephew Logan and I usually sleep in the guest bedroom where my framed essay from 1998 sits on the desk near the bed. I read it every year and think about how lucky I am for both my amazing sisters and how before any of my more significant moments in my life I could see pinpoint moments of joy and appreciation for both them equally, separately, and together as a family. To this day I don't think I could write a more accurate portrayal (giving leeway for grammar) of what it meant to be the “baby brother” to two great sisters.

Now they are older, wiser, and have their own families that they have begun. But I remember distinctly, when they both had their first child (my first nephew and niece) I specifically told them both that I knew Logan and Ayla couldn't have a mother better than theirs. I knew because I was the first person to ever experience their warmth and maternal love as their baby brother and now it is great to see them with a happy, healthy, and exciting family of their own.

And for my step sister, Kate and sister-in-laws Christie, Christina, and Ginny, I've had the great chance to learn from them as well, as each one of them provides a unique and integral part of this large and growing group of people I call family. I am incredibly thankful for all of you.