A thank you to my sister

I can’t actually describe how much my sister means to me. She’s my best friend and has my back no matter what. She also suffers from depression and anxiety. And I would do anything to take the pain of dealing with both away from her. I’d never wish anxiety or depression on anyone and so when I see my sister suffering it breaks my heart. But she is also the most courageous person I know. She’s so fearless and brave, some days I can’t help but be in complete awe of her. She sticks up for those she loves and doesn’t hold back when defending them.

Tonight she did just that. She stood up for both of us and didn’t hold back when we were faced with some anger and ugliness. For that I will be forever grateful. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and I love that I have her in my corner. Today was such a good day for both of us and we haven’t smiled like we did, in a while. Tonight nothing else mattered: we went to place that used to be our second home but it now reminds us of heartache and anger. It reminded us of how much has changed. But we faced this head on and because we did, we got to see one of our most favourite people on this entire planet. I love the pride we have for knowing this individual. And I love how we are both so damn proud of this individual and we were reminded how much they have positively impacted both of our lives. We got to talk about our favourite memories and laugh while sharing stories. I love seeing her happy and I love seeing me happy. Tonight I witnessed that. I don’t think either of us stopped smiling from the moment we stepped into that building that holds so much of our childhood. Years may have passed but seeing this individual, made me realize that not much has changed between the 3 of us. Tonight is a night I will never forget.

Unfortunately the night didn’t end on the high note we both expected it to. But I can say that I am the luckiest person on this planet because I am able to be my honest self with her. She accepts me for the emotional person I am. She read messages that I was too distraught to read. She spoke for both us, with messages from our hearts. She helped me face the unexpected turn of events tonight.

I love her. I love her sense of pride and confidence. And that she won’t back down from a fight. She’s my rock and we make a pretty kick-ass duo. I love you Shannon. Thank you for being by my side tonight. I’d be a heck of a anxious-emotional-hot-mess without you