I consider myself to be extremely lucky for having apart from two caring and loving parents, also a brother-who entered my life three and a half years after I was born-to turn to whether I am happy or in distress. Being the oldest child in our family, I was usually the one that had to listen to all the parenting advice before my brother was old enough to take a stand. Although our relationship has been through a lot of ups and downs, now that we both technically belong to the adult group of the family, I consider my brother to be one of the most caring and smart individuals I know and consider him to be irreplaceable in my life.

I catch myself often traveling back in time and remembering with nostalgia those instances that we felt compelled to fight over a toy or a T-shirt, although we both knew that trouble was on its way since we were supposed to wash our hands and get ready to sit down at the dinner table with our parents. I smile when I recall those Sunday mornings that I had to run to my brother's bedroom as my mother entered his room in order to begin narrating his favorite story. Although I do not remember how this became a family "ritual" that lasted throughout our childhood-since the usual practice for kids is to listen to fairytales before getting to bed-my mother was always ready to repeat the story of the righteous young man and his successful fight against the misunderstood monster that frightened the inhabitants of an imaginary village. The tone of her voice and the moral of the story always made us wake up with a feeling of excitement that everything in life is possible. Well, I am proud to admit that my brother is a living proof of that old saying. Without hesitating and by being confident of his abilities and his willingness to experience the world, he was the one that took first the step of traveling abroad, studying the subject matter of his choice, becoming a young promising professional in his field of expertise, buying a house, and still keep his friends close and my parents happy with his life's choices.

The truth is that our relationship has changed considerably over the years. While at the beginning was more or less similar to any brother-sister relationship you have been probably exposed to, although we were not jealous of each other, somehow we managed through similar experiences and common life goals to establish a very sincere and open channel of communication. Maybe it seems too honest at times for me to handle with confidence, but the fact remains that I am grateful to have the opportunity of speaking with my brother whenever I please, to give him my advice when he asks for it and not to be afraid to raise an argument that might not find him in agreement.

Having an adult brother-sister relationship is one of those things in life I cherish and consider myself extremely lucky for being able to enjoy. My sincere wish for both of us is to continue opening up each other, understand and respect our differences, learn from each others mistakes, and of course, increase the frequency of our visits to one another. One thing I miss terribly is his face. He is one of the people I know I can laugh with and cry in front of without later feeling embarrassed I did. I consider this feeling to be unique; at least for me.