different flowers from the same garden

Over the past few weeks I’ve been feeling extremely nostalgic about my childhood. I’ve found myself looking through old photos and reminiscing mostly because I feel like so much in my life has changed throughout the years.

Although a lot has changed, I feel like one thing has been consistent throughout my life and that's the support that I've received from my older sisters.

Alicia, JJ, and I singing karaoke (most likely Genie In A Bottle by Christina Aguilera).

I would like to assume that my childhood was a little different than most, mainly because there was quite an age gap between my older siblings and my younger brother and I.

When I was in pre-k/kindergarten I was sharing a bedroom with my third oldest sister and my little brother would’ve been two or three sharing his room with my second oldest sister.

I was sharing a room with Lacey who was a Junior in high school at the time and JJ was sharing a room with Alicia, who would’ve been a Senior in high school.

This dynamic made my experience growing up very different from my peers for a few reasons.

As a brief example, I’m sure that they were all listening to 90’s country on the way to school or the grocery store, but what was I listening to? Whatever my sisters were listening to at the time, which was often between Eminem, Ludacris, Nelly, Christina Aguilera and Kelly Clarkson.

My mother had the shock of her life when she caught me singing “What’s Your Fantasy” by Ludacris word for word at 4 years old (Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the lyrics if you haven’t already).

Lacey, myself, and JJ in our childhood home.

As we grew up, my sisters had to babysit my brother and I while my mom worked night shifts as a nurse at the local hospital. This meant that we were basically attached at the hip 24/7.

Whatever my older sisters were doing we were tagging along whether they liked it or not, or we were often bribed with toys and candy. Either way, I can’t even begin to tell you how cool I always felt.

Me, Alicia, JJ, and our dog Prissy (rip).

For starters, the school that we went to was extremely small so my kindergarten class would often pass some of the juniors and seniors in the hallway. The girls would compliment my outfits and give me hugs, while the guys would say hi and wave as they walked past (In hindsight I do think this contributed to how boy crazy I was in middle school because I probably had a crush on 75% of them).

We also got to drive around in my sisters’ cars, listen to music, hang out with them and their boyfriends, go to basketball or football games, and sometimes stay up way past our bed time.

Even after my sisters moved out and started their own lives I would hear about them constantly. Whether it was the older siblings of kids my age or the faculty at my school, I always got to hear about them in some capacity.

When I got to high school I would have teachers talk about having my sisters in their previous classes and I always thought that was such a cool experience to have. I could hear funny stories about them that I had never heard before and I really cherished the opportunity to hear other people speak so highly of them.

I think most of all, I’ve been reflecting on how much I admire both of them. I think I always thought it was cool that everyone else around me seemed to view them the same way that I did. I didn’t have to fight very hard to be seen or heard in most spaces because they knew my sisters and their character. I don’t think I ever realized until recently how special that truly is.

Alicia has always been the easy going one. She has the biggest heart and is one of the most dependable people. She’s inclusive and kind. She was also incredibly athletic and it made me want to get into sports too. Any teacher I previously had would talk about how kind and helpful she was without ever complaining, which is something that I always admired most.

Lacey was the one that I was closest to being that we shared a room together. I feel like I watched her under a microscope when I was younger because I wanted to do whatever she was doing.

Lacey had glasses, so i wanted glasses. Lacey wore makeup so I wanted to wear makeup. Lacey loved N*Sync, so I loved N*Sync.

Lacey also has the biggest heart when it comes to helping others. She is always playing devils advocate and is the first person to think of the opposite side of any scenario. She also is one of the goofiest people I’ve ever met. She’s always cracking jokes and making the people around her laugh. I admire her love for others and optimism throughout any situation.

My sisters have always encouraged me to be my most authentic self and always allowed me the space to figure out who I am. They provided a safe space for me growing up and throughout my life they've always been there for me through any situation. Whether it was a fight with my mom, needing a ride somewhere, help with homework, fights with friends, or even just needing someone to talk to, I always knew that they were only a text or phone call away.

They've given me opportunities that they didn't have growing up and have always been selfless when it comes to my little brother and I.

All of this to say that I am so thankful to have two beautiful and kind hearted women to look up to.

I love you both immensely and I am so grateful for you and everything that you've done for me.

Love always,

Your little sister - Jamie Lee