Let’s be honest, there are those siblings you love dearly and those who you may love just a little less. The one that I love more than anything in the world would be my half-sister, Mia Elizabeth Rockefeller. She is 11 years and has been 900 miles away from me ever since she was born. I have had experiences with Mia that I will never forget due to the fact that I don’t get many chances to make memories with her.
Last summer, when I took a road trip with two of my second cousins to see our family in Washington, we went to Green Bluff and picked strawberries, and she wanted to stay and walk with me the whole way. The next day we went to Silverwood, a theme park in Idaho, and again she wanted to go on all the rides I went on but couldn’t because she was too little. My second cousins and I went off on our own for awhile, and when we met back with my sister and stepmother, I was greeted with my little sister running at me listing off all the rides she wanted to go on with me. Of course one was the bumper boats, and I was the only person in white pants but she insisted that I go with her. I kept telling her in line that we were going to come out dry, and I was completely wrong. Two little boys ganged up on us and we were the losers in this epic battle and definitely came out the most wet, but the smile on her face was worth it all.
On the ride home, Mia and I were sitting in the last row of the minivan and like it often did when you put us within arm’s reach, a tickle war started. She thought she won, I’d say I won, but it is our little game that never gets old. It’s one of those things that I look forward to because I hear her little giggle and struggles. On our way back from Silverwood she got very tired and fell asleep, but she wasn’t tall enough to rest her head on the top of the seat so I moved to where she could rest her head on my shoulder. I’d have to say it was not the most comfortable position for me, but I would do it any day just for her. Just having those few minutes with her is valuable to me, and I would never let those memories go. The memories of laughter, of quietness, of love that never fades as time moves forward. I hope that the great distance between us won’t keep us from being close.