Happy 40th Birthday to My Brother!

Happy Birthday to my brother Tommy! Wow, 40 years old... We've been lucky to make it this far! We've been through a lot, you and I. We've survived a couple of car crashes together, we've survived trees falling on the house, and though we've been as different as night and day, you've always been my bubby, and I'll always be your sissy. I may not always like your life choices, but deep down I'll always love you.

Not everyone gets to know what it's like to have a big brother. It's nice to feel that protection as you're growing up. I was the kind of kid who felt like if anyone hurt me, I could get my brother to go beat them up, even though you never had to. I remember always wanting to tag along with you. I'd always want to play with your toys, and I'm pretty sure that had to get annoying for you. But that's what little sisters do.

Sadly, when I got old enough to start school, I remember seeing you at recess. I thought it was really cool to be going to school with my big brother, but when I called you bubby in front of your friends, you seemed to get offended and got mad at me. Now that I'm older, I realized I had embarrassed you. I guess I had always thought of you being a big strong protector, and I didn't realize until that day that you had a sensitive side. I apologize for embarrassing you, but I hope you realize now that it was just me looking up to my brother with pride and great affection.

But being older was not always easy, I'm sure. It meant you were usually the first to make mistakes. But because of that, I was able to learn from your mistakes and become a better person. And I guess that's why I had always felt a sort of sibling rivalry with you. I always tried to be better because I didn't want to make the same mistakes that you did. But I hope you don't resent it. Instead, I hope you can see and understand how you've helped me by making me want to be better and make better choices, and to do better than I could have done without you.

Even now, I hope you understand how much I admire you. You've brought 5 beautiful children into this world. You've had a rough patch, but you're doing what you can to make things better and be there for your kids. And even though you're getting old(er) and your body is breaking down, you're still working hard to do what you can for them. And your sense of humor... I've always loved how you and Mom could come up with witty remarks so easily.

I hope we still have many years together. You getting older means that I'm getting older, and as I get older, I think about how any day could be our last together. I hope I can get a picture of us together again soon, since it has been years since we've done that. And I'm hoping that as time patches up the holes that have drifted us apart over these last few years, that we can be close again. I miss you and love you very much, and I hope that you have a wonderful birthday.