I've Got You Like You've Got Me

My sister and I talk. When I say we talk, I mean we talk A LOT. Honestly, it’s not just the two of us…it’s actually all my siblings and I. When caught together, we are almost inseparable, as we sit and recall stories from our childhood that bring us to tears, have us roaring with laughter, and have us impersonating random people from our past.

Across continents and oceans, we stay connected. It’s crazy really, but if you’ve been through all we’ve been through in our lifetimes, family is pretty important. Most of the struggles in our lives have been lived through together, smiling at outsiders but singing and crying when alone and together.

Life beat us up. It beat us up real bad. Despite it all, I believe we’re all the stronger for it. Some of us took the hurt and pain from our past struggles and built up walls, making sure that those parts of our lives never repeated themselves. We worked super hard; we did our best not to depend on others. We didn’t want to owe another human being a thing, so even in need, we said we were just fine.

Others softened, knowing that things do get better. The difficult times strengthened them. They focused on the lessons of life. They used our experiences to become better human beings. They pushed past the pain and took the rest of us on their shoulders and drug us along, even when we kicked and screamed. They weren’t going to allow us to wallow in the difficulty of our past and allow it to keep us from becoming the men and women we had the potential to be.

For as long as I live, I will be grateful for my family, grateful for the awesome bond my siblings and I have. We may get mad at each other, dislike one another’s decisions at times, and even speak disrespectfully to one another when in a passionate rage, but when it comes down to it, I would do anything for my brothers and sisters. 

Due to the beauty of my relationship with my siblings, I do my best to emphasize togetherness with my children. I guess I can’t force them to have the same bond we had growing up and still do, but I just want them to know they should be able to lean on one another. We live in a massive world of haters and crazies. We all need people we can lean on, who we can trust. If it’s not those in our families, then who else can we count on?

Life gets tough, and those who know you best are capable of helping you get through the hard times. Love and appreciate those who always have your back and are there for you in the good and bad times. Your mother may not have birthed them, but there are many people in our lives who stand in the gap and are just as close to us as, or closer than, those in our families. If that’s you, reach out to those two or three people and let them know how much they mean to you.

I dedicate the following two songs to my four siblings and my wonderful friends who’ve been there for  me time and time again, regardless of how irrational, strong-headed, or crazy I’ve been. I love you, appreciate you, and am blessed to have you in my life.