brotherhood

 As I've grown older, I've developed a very important relationship with my brother. As kids we never got along, we went down different paths and had the regular sibling arguments. Nowadays I think of him as the only real relative I have, the others only family by name and shared DNA. He is the only one who ever gave thought to know me as a person.
Growing up we were like strangers. My brother is very secretive by nature and coming from a family that shares nothing I can't blame him. Our mother pushes us both away more than anything, especially as we grow older. It took him moving out and things getting worse at home for me to reach out to him, and it became one of the best decisions of my life. Friendship is wonderful and extremely rewarding, and when it's with your genuine family, I believe there is nothing stronger. I've always envied people who were close with their parents, and this is exactly why. It is such an amazing and deeply rooted bond.
That being said, I appreciate being able to grow to know my brother as a individual and not just as my brother. We are extremely different people, you could even say opposites, but he is a beautiful person. He is not perfect, and I am sad every day for the difficulties he must face, but he is so strong and I wish I could have half the honest strength of character he does.
To be honest I'm unsure what my real point of this is. Perhaps that, just because someone is different than you, they can still teach you so much about life and the kind of person you would love to be. To some people my brother and his lifestyle may be far from ideal, but any other person faced with half of what he has experienced would never be able to handle it with the grace and strength he has shown. For this I respect him incredibly.
Now that I'm the one living out of the house and my brother was forced to move home due to financial difficulties, I see my future ahead of me as something foreign and huge and as far away from the tiny sorrows of my family as can be. I am incredibly excited for it.
But I will never forget my big brother who taught me what real love and friendship is, in a time in my life where I thought it may not even exist. Without him I would not be the confident, honest person I am today. Without him I would not have the perseverance and drive to succeed, nor would I have encouragement when I feel that I am failing. My brother, my best friend. I love you.