It’s hard to believe, but tonight my family will be celebrating the graduation of my little sister Jenna…although at almost 18, she’s not really “little” anymore. Just yesterday, I was the one graduating high school. Only “yesterday” was actually 3 years ago. So I guess maybe there’s some distortion of reality here.
Even though Jenn drives me crazy sometimes, and if you ask her, I drive her crazy all the time, I am so proud of her. I know that when she started high school people had expectations of her that were based on my high school performance, and I’m sure that wasn’t easy for her. We are two very different people; about the only thing we share is our parents, bright blue eyes, and a love for music (although for the most part it’s very different types of music...haha). While I am more serious and goal-oriented, Jenn is carefree and laid-back. I am more academically talented; she is more athletically talented. We are practically mirror opposites. But just because we are different doesn’t mean her accomplishments are any less or more important than mine, and it’s not easy to make her understand this.
High school is hard for so many different reasons, and one of them is that there is so much weight put on academic excellence. Anyone who doesn’t excel academically tends to get lost in the shuffle. Jenn has so many gifts, but you can’t measure her achievements on a grading scale. She’s a devoted friend, an amazing singer, a self-taught guitarist, a talented volleyball player, and the best center-fielder I know (despite having to sit out her senior year due to an injury).
However, as I said in my speech when I graduated (yesterday, of course!), “You are more than an A on a test, more than the winning touchdown, more than a plaque on the wall. Each one of you is a unique individual with the ability to leave this world a better place than you found it.” And this is so true for Jenn. Ten years from now, high school won’t matter. Jenn is going to go places in life, and people will remember her, but it will be for her unique personality, caring heart, and (hopefully!) her musical talent.
She probably doesn’t remember it (and maybe she would deny it if she did), but when she was younger (much younger), she looked up to me. We spent many a day dressing up our kittens in doll clothes, catching crawdads in the creek, and “adopting” critters we found on the farm. We camped out in the backyard, put on finger puppet shows, and ate Play-Doh together (yup, kinda gross but totally true). I would give anything to go back to those days when all we had was each other (although we can leave out the Play-Doh eating part…haha). We still have our good moments, but I know we probably spend more time these days arguing than anything else. And while I know most siblings have their fair share of fights, I hope that Jenn’s graduation is a new beginning for us as sisters as well as a new beginning for her life. I would love for us to one day be best friends and not just sisters. Because a lot of things have changed, but one thing stays the same; we are part of a family, and when it comes to the brightest of days and the darkest of nights, all we have in life is God, and the love of our family.
So congrats to my “little” sis Jenn (aka Rockstarr Jenn) and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you! I’m sure it will be bright, bold, and beautiful! :)
from Jess, with love <3
always
