Hannah and I are over 4 years apart--farther apart than any of my other sisters are from me. Until this school year, I really didn't know her. I moved out of the house in 2008 when she was 13 and I saw only glimpses of her developing personality every few months. But spending time with Hannah these last few months has been so great for our relationship (at least it has been for me) and I feel like I understand her now, and I love her more than ever because of it.
I don't really feel qualified to write much about Hannah before I knew her well. I do remember that as a child, Hannah was always very sweet with a fiercely stubborn streak. Every photograph of her as a child is happy and smiling. I remember her admiring gymnastics from a young age and teaching herself how to do tumbling tricks and other things. She was always very social and seemed to feel energized by spending time with people. I recall that since she was a toddler, she has always had a gift for humor. For instance, the time she stuck a key in an electrical outlet and when my mom asked her what happened, she said, "It wiggled me!".
It seemed like when Hannah was in high school, she was always involved in something. She seemed to rarely be at home because she was at gymnastics practice or dance practice or cheer practice or early morning jazz choir or a Seminary Council meeting or a Freshman Mentoring Meeting or working at Yoplicity or doing one of the other ten million things she busied herself with. Even when she proclaimed herself to be exhausted, she seemed to have so much more energy than I remember having as a teenager. Once she decided to do something, she made sure she had the energy to do it and nothing could persuade her to give it up.
Whenever I had the rare opportunity to see Hannah doing one of those ten million things in high school, she always had the biggest smile on her face and she made everyone around her happy. I observed this as well on Jenn's wedding day--she was almost as happy as Jenn was, and Hannah made sure that everyone else around her was excited and joyful on that special day. She tirelessly helped with that wedding, laughing and smiling the whole time.
Now that Hannah is living 3 blocks away from me(!) I get to see her very often and I get to see her in the ups and downs of her life. Up close, she is so much more fun and happy and helpful and determined than I ever knew. She has spent countless hours watching Charlie for me so that I could go to class or have some precious free time out of the house. She has come over to my house and talked to me when I needed adult interaction during the day. She has told me endless amounts of funny jokes, gotten excited about my crazy plans for things, and been mercilessly teased by Greg, all with a smile on her face. She has taken viciously difficult BYU classes and worked hard to get good grades so that she can follow her dreams of being a nurse. I love to hear her talk passionately about all the amazing things that she wants to accomplish with her time.
Most importantly, I love to hear her talk about how much she loves trying to live a Christ-centered life. Since August, she has spent many hours in a time-consuming calling and I've seen her grow to genuinely love serving in that capacity. Her faith in Jesus Christ is truly inspiring and her commitment to living up to her own standards is a wonderful example to me. I am so grateful for her willingness to share that part of her life with me. My life has truly been enriched by Hannah. I find myself smiling and laughing so much more when I'm influenced by her.
Thank you, Hannah.
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