Letters from your Future Aunts & Uncles Part 2

I find that one of the hardest parts about this process has been talking about ourselves. Avram and I are very kind, outgoing people but we are also quite humble and are not very comfortable speaking about ourselves. Luckily, I have 6 younger siblings who are all so excited to welcome a niece or nephew into our family that they just jumped at the fact to write about us…

These next two are from Alex & Chloe -my oldest brother and youngest sister.  For the first ten years of my life, I asked for a sibling for every birthday, & holiday – I think I even wrote to Santa about it!  When people asked me if I had a brother or sister, I would say: “No, I’m a lonely child.” (instead of Only child). Alex was my first sibling and as such I treated him like the most cherished present anyone could receive.  Chloe was the fifth, but never one to be forgotten, she became my mini-me and we were never apart. Over the years, we have remained incredibly close – so close that we speak almost every day, and Chloe has put us on breakthrough just in case we have news :-).  What’s truly extraordinary though is the bond that has formed between Alex & Avram.  Neither of them will admit it, but Alex looks up to Avram and they love each other as if they had been brothers their whole lives. So without further ado:

Jackie is the big sister everyone dreams of. We are 14 years apart, but she has treated me like her equal for as long as I can remember. Jackie included me in everything from playing “dress up” with her friends to attending theater productions, even when they were slightly past my bedtime. She knew just how to balance being a best friend and a big sister/mentor. She is protective, but not overbearing and she is the one person I know I can always turn to for the good and the bad. Jackie was an only child for 10 years and then gained 6 siblings practically all at once. She has embraced us all and has formed special, unique bonds with each one of us. There is no one I can think of who is better suited to be a parent. 

 

– Chloe (her youngest and favorite sister)*

*Jackie maintains that she loves all of her siblings equally…

 

 

Avram is a great brother-in-law simply because he is the best husband. His love and affection for Jackie is obvious to anyone who spends even a short time with them. From the moment I met Avram, I felt that love radiate to the rest of our family. He and I hit it off especially well as we’re both history nerds, dad joke connoisseurs and are maybe a bit too fond of the Socratic method. But even if Avram and I had little in common, the way he uplifts and protects Jackie would make cherish him as a brother regardless. 

Jackie and Avram are two of the most selfless people I know, which makes their relationship one of mutual unwavering support, where each puts the other’s needs before their own. The strength of their marriage provides a blueprint for what my partner and I want to work towards. Perhaps as importantly, Avram’s boundless love and selflessness serve as an example of the kind of husband and father I hope to be. 

 

-Alex (her oldest brother)