Almost five years ago, my sister got married and as her maid
of honor, I had the privilege and duty of providing the MOH toast. I took the job seriously, giving thought to
my story and message, drafting up different ideas and constantly editing the
speech. In the end though, I let my
emotion take over and I copped out. My
speech was short and sweet but lacked anything truly unique or special…It was
the standard high-pitched “I love you so much and am so happy for you” speech
that every bridesmaid gives before being overshadowed by the best man.
So with my thoughts again turned towards weddings, I thought
it time to give my sister her moment in the sun. Consider this my belated maid of honor speech
Dana.
My sister and I weren’t always best friends, but like good
wine and cheese, it took those years of implied imperfections to make something
truly unique and special. And the years
leading up to our relationship now were full of so many memories I wouldn’t
trade them for the world.
Dana was at times my partner in crime: making potions in the
backyard and using mom’s homegrown herbs and spices to make it more authentic;
telling scary stories to the younger neighbors about secretly being witches and
eating kids; and ganging up on our brother, dressing him up in girls’ clothes
and painting his fingernails (although to be fair the fingernails were at his
request).
She was (and still is) one of my biggest competitors: always
one-uping me in playing sports, in gaining attention from our parents,
attracting the opposite sex and generally being a better person. She was also at time my arch-nemesis, making
my life miserable as only older sisters are able to do with such little
effort…A mere comment could and would leave me either in tears or looking for a
fight, swinging my arms in fury. I
specifically remember a vicious fight over a pair of borrowed white socks on
your average Tuesday morning before school.
By the time I hit high school, Dana was all of the above and
more. She was the focus of my envy. While I walked the halls, uncomfortable in my
own skin, with braces, hormone induced acne and a unibrow, Dana was the epitome
of cool. With her tom boy style, drum
playing skills, and love of surfing and snowboarding, Dana was friends with
everyone and dated the hottest guy in school…some things will never change as
she managed to date and marry the coolest guy at the Lake.
And then we went to college and everything somehow
changed. Call it maturity, nature or
just the fact that we didn’t have to live under the same roof, Dana became my
friend and confidant above everything else. Granted there were still a few
fights, especially when she first moved down to SLO and in with me and my
friends…but to be fair I think that was more my residual fear of being in her
shadow yet again. By the time I
graduated Cal Poly, Dana and I were once again living under the same roof and I
was loving every minute of it. We could
spend the evening in our small converted garage of a home, making dinner,
hanging out and acting like complete idiots…the kind of behavior no self respecting
person would reveal to the world, but would to their family.
And still to this day, Dana is more than a sister, she is my
best friend. The one I can call to vent
to and tell my ridiculous anxieties to, the one I can share my victories with,
the one I call for motivation and the one I rely on for support above all
else. I am truly honored to be her
sister and be able to share in her life.
I love you!
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