"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

Yesterday was my older sister's birthday. I'm not going to lie, we've had our issues over the years. Some say that all sister relationships are complicated, but when chronic illness is part of the equation, relationships can become all the more, well, trickier.

I want to say this, though; don't forget to treasure the time you spend with one another while young as life does go by too fast. It's truly hard to fathom that just yesterday we were just kids playing outside on hot summer days and now we are all grown up.

Want to hear a cute sister memory? During summertime, when I was six, I had one of my debulking surgeries. It was a whole ordeal as it was the one in which something went terribly wrong and my organs started to shut down. That aside, recovery was treacherous as well. When I was able to leave the hospital after weeks time, I was home and had nurses that periodically had to come and change my wrappings and what not. I recall the yucky fluid iron medicine I had to take every day.

Anyways, I could have just paraphrased that all and said things were rough, and I hated being trapped indoors during the summertime. However, I had an older sister that would wheel me and all my stuffed animals around the neighborhood on scorching summer days, I don't think I even had to ask her. She could have chosen to do whatever she wanted with that time, but she happily caroused me from house to house and made me a very happy little girl.

Memories like that are the ones that I keep stored deeply within my soul. They helped shape the person I am today and I wish that I could go back to then for even just a moment.

I don't always succeed at this, believe me, but share love and cherish joy. - A