Eight letters in the human language carry incredible power. Not the most powerful—that belongs to God alone—but among the most powerful we can speak: THANK YOU. We started this journey by being thankful to God and our Savior for salvation and grace. We continued by thanking our parents for their sacrifices and love. Today, let’s turn our hearts to the people who grew up beside us, who know us in ways no one else does: our brothers and sisters.
Childhood Companions
Remember the games of hide-and-seek, the imaginary worlds built out of blankets and chairs, the secrets whispered under the covers long after lights out? Remember the squabbles over toys, the fights for the front seat, the alliances formed and broken and formed again? Our siblings were our first playmates, our first rivals, our first teammates. They were the ones we turned to for entertainment, for comfort, for commiseration when our parents just didn’t understand. They were our built-in best friends, even when we didn’t want them to be. Those early years, those countless hours spent together, shaped us in ways we’re still discovering. They taught us how to share, how to compromise, how to stand up for ourselves. They taught us that love can be fiercely competitive and unwaveringly loyal all at once.
Lifelong Lessons
As we grew, our relationships with our siblings grew too. The power struggles of childhood gave way to the more complex navigations of adolescence and adulthood. We learned how to be there for each other through heartbreaks, disappointments, and triumphs. We learned how to forgive, how to let go of old resentments, how to cheer each other on from the sidelines of life. Our siblings were our first teachers in the art of relationships. From them, we learned how to interact with the world. How to share space and time and attention. How to argue and make up. How to be honest, even when it’s hard. How to love someone you don’t always like. Those lessons, learned in the safety of family, prepared us for every relationship that followed. They laid the groundwork for how we would be as friends, as partners, as colleagues, as parents ourselves. They shaped our understanding of what it means to be close to another human being.
Gratitude for the Journey
So to our brothers and sisters, whether we’re close or distant, whether our relationships are easy or complicated, let’s say those eight powerful letters: THANK YOU.
Thank you for the laughter and the tears. For the inside jokes no one else understands. For the memories we’ll never forget and the ones we wish we could. For being our first and forever friends. Thank you for the fights that taught us how to forgive. For the competitions that pushed us to be better. For the secrets kept and the truths told. For showing us that bonds can bend without breaking. Thank you for helping shape the people we’ve become. For loving us at our worst and celebrating us at our best. For being a part of our story in a way no one else can.
A Precious Gift
Siblings are a gift. A sometimes annoying, often frustrating, but always irreplaceable gift. They are the ones who know where we come from, who carry pieces of our history that no one else holds. They are living reminders that we are never truly alone in this world. So let’s not take them for granted. Let’s reach out, even if it’s been a while. Let’s say “I love you,” even if it feels awkward at first. Let’s make new memories to go along with the old. Because life is short, and family is precious, and those eight letters can never be said too often:
THANK YOU.To our first friends, our forever rivals, our constant companions on this journey of life.
To our brothers and sisters.
With gratitude.