I stole my brother’s birthday. Really.

Poor guy. He was born on a beautiful spring day. The second child for a lovely couple. He was surrounded by mostly divided attention. His older brother continued to demand his first-born rights as a new sibling announced his way in.

“Well, at least I have my birthday party to enjoy!” he thought. Right? No way. I stole it. I decided to arrive exactly on his birthday. His very first birthday. No other time would suffice.

Now, if you really stop to think about it, he received the best birthday present ever. A tiny little baby-brother to play and cuddle with, to fight with over sparse toys and buttered slices of bread, to hide secrets from or share headaches with, to get in trouble together or save each other from pain, to go to school with and share in life’s beautiful and inevitable journeys.

So, my dear brother,  it is our birthday today.

As I receive phone calls, text messages, Facebook posts from our dear friends and family members, I cannot accept them without making sure that you know how much I appreciate You.

You’ve been there for me ever since I was born and I am so proud to tell everyone that you are my brother, and my birthday pal. (Yes, it’s fun watching people get confused that we share the same birthday, but we’re not twins.)

Happy Birthday, Brother, and to many more years!