I was always a person who looked for connections with everything I came across. Friends, teachers, random people on the street –  no one got past my line of vision. However, though I have a lot of people that I talk to, there’s no one that I hold closer than my brother.

Believe me when I say my brother and I used to not get along. I was the typical annoying younger sister always getting in his business just as he was the rude older brother thwarting all my scheming. We would yell and steal, tease and tackle almost daily. 

But through the fights, we developed a sort of kinship. There wasn’t anyone else I was able to pester that much without fear of them leaving. We would have week-long arguments over the silliest things, but it oddly enough made me happy.

As the years went by, we bickered less and began to have more of a friendly relationship. I took on the role of overly-involved-in-his-life sibling and he didn’t seem to mind it too much. In attempts to be able to relate to him more, I became friends with the people he was close to and participated in the activities he did.

We drifted apart around middle school and it was a rough couple of years. It felt like suddenly I didn’t have my brother and it made me realize I needed to start appreciating him more.

When high school started, we grew a lot closer and I’ll always be grateful for that. I don’t tell him, but he is a big part of my motivation to excel as a student. He has been a great role model with what to do and he always makes time to help me when I need it. He has always gotten good grades, he is continuously respectful to everyone around him and he takes his own time to help when he sees someone struggle.

I am grateful for the countless car rides and for the last minute boba runs. Grateful for the late night talks and walking around Coppell. Grateful for my vacation companion every time we went as a family. Grateful for me being able to barge into his room to tell him the latest things that have happened. Grateful for the years of laughter, inside jokes, tears and bonding. And I am grateful to have my brother in my life. 

Follow Maya Palavali (@mvpalovalley) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.