brother bears

All my life, I have been well aware of how lucky I am to have been given the two brothers I have.

To be gifted the responsibility of being a trailblazer in this beautiful, confusing, unjust, completely compelling world we live in.

I have been told time and again of how unique my relationship with my brothers is, seeing as I have always seen them both as friends, before siblings. Two people who share the same DNA as me, who have the same blood coursing through their veins – yet they are the missing pieces of where I fall short in life. They are the competitive drive that push me to get back up again and attempt to tackle my road block in an alternate way.

People tend to give me a look of skepticism when I tell them that there has never really been a period of time in my life where I can remember substantial personality clashes with my siblings. We have rarely fought, and nothing seems to last long without being resolved -  whether it’s a joke being made to crack the tension, or a body slam into the nearby couch. I know it’s unusual how well we get along. I know that the respect we have for each other can be attributed to the way we have and continue to be raised, and how it has been modeled to us by our parents.

Although I am the oldest child — and with that has come added pressure to set a good example, in addition to stricter boundaries set in place — my parents proceeded to navigate their way through parenthood, responding to the experiences that came along with raising a headstrong adolescent with grace and love. And my brothers seemed to follow along in similar fashion.

Now with us all in our twenties, my respect and admiration for my brothers continues to grow every day. As I look back and remember the spit ball battles in the old minivan, the summer camping trips and the ongoing scare tactics to get a reaction out of each other, I can’t help but smile. I feel so privileged to be surrounded by two individuals who view the world so intelligently and level-headedly, who push themselves out of their comfort zones, and succeed in so many things they do. I don’t know if pride is a word that can encapsulate my feelings exactly. But, I guess it will suffice. I am so proud of how they continue to grow, watching them positively impact those lucky enough to be in their lives while they learn about the kind of people they want to be.

I am reminded on a daily basis of how lucky I am to have two brothers who also serve the role as best friends. Who can cheer me up when I am feeling discouraged, who can think critically when I am needing some sort of outlet to bounce ideas off of, and who can make me laugh harder than I thought possible. Two people who protect me, comfort me and poke fun at me without end. Who offer honest, constructive opinions when I need the plain truth, but are just as quickly there to show love and support when I need it.

Today, 2, 300 kilometres away - and every day for that matter - I am so very thankful for them.

And today, the kilometres will disappear as I head home to see my family for the holidays.

I can hardly wait.

A