Grateful for Sarah

I've been feeling like a mean cuss lately, and had a talk with my sister Karen yesterday. She reminded me that a good way to be happy is to be more grateful. So in the spirit of gratitude, I've decided to write a series of short essays about why I'm grateful for each member of my family.

I thought I'd start with my oldest sister Sarah and go on down the line. So here goes! Hopefully my memory serves me well :)

Younger children (me) often look up to their older siblings (in this case, Sarah) as a kind of guide or example to pattern their behavior after. I definitely did this as a child. I remember when I was about 6, Sarah encouraged me to start writing in a journal. I think that she had recently started journaling at the time and she loved it, so she wanted me to have something that I loved too. She and I are almost 4 years apart in age, so I'm sure her entries were more contemplative and thoughtful than mine were. For example, one of my first journal entries went something like this: "Diary, right now in my life I have big problems. Two boys like me and they are both very ugly." But, nevertheless, as I grew older and continued to occasionally journal, I understood that sometimes writing is the best way to work through your feelings and ideas. Sarah was instrumental in the development of my early writing skills.

When Sarah was in about (?) fifth grade, she decided to teach me how to do long division. And she patiently explained it to me (third grade?) and gave me practice problems until I could do it too. And I always felt so smart in math after that because I was the only one in class that could long divide. It was a big deal to me, because I always got a lot of confidence from being the smart kid in class.

As we got older, I noticed Sarah's work ethic more and more. She was home-schooled for much of high school and basically taught herself the subjects in addition to practicing her violin for hours every day. She also took a legit babysitting job watching two kids 5 afternoons a week (or so I remember). She became aware of the Running Start Program (a dual-enrollment program) and decided to do it in her last two years of high school, and she graduated high school with her Associate's Degree. She paved the way for me to graduate high school with my Associate's Degree, too.

She has always had fabulous taste in every kind of media under the sun. Over the years, she has recommended countless books, movies, tv shows, blogs, pictures, and paintings to me that I have LOVED. She has a singular ability to spot things before they become trendy. Really--ask her for a recommendation sometime!

Ever since we were children, I've also seen Sarah's strong and deep convictions to the teachings of our faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For as long as I can remember, she has cultivated and maintained an unwavering testimony, and her shining example of faith has always strengthened me during hard times. Once, when I was barely fifteen and had a non-LDS boyfriend (three large no-nos), she wrote me a letter, reminding me that I knew better. I was furious with her, but deep down, I knew she was right. Temple marriage was always her most important goal, and she wanted me to make it there, too. She achieved her goal in 2007, and I did too, in 2010.

As an adult, and now a mother, I have so much gratitude for her example of motherhood. From my perspective, she has always exuded a boundless love for her three precious daughters. I appreciate the interactions I've observed between her and her girls; she exhibits so much patience for toddler shenanigans and baby cries. In addition, she has limitless ideas for cute and budget-friendly crafts to beautify her home and give as gifts to others.

Sarah has always encouraged me to pursue the best things in life. I continue to look to her example in the wonderful things she accomplishes.

Thank you, Sarah.