When I read the question, do you know any "super siblings" who have beaten the odds or saved someone's life, I instantly thought of my sister, as she has both overcome odds and saved a life, mine. Michele is five years older than me and ever since I can remember, she's been teaching me how to live life and achieve my dreams. I guess I should start at the beginning.
My mother had my older brother and sister with a different man than my own father. My sister used to despise my father (her step-dad) and argued with him constantly. They would get into fights about stupid little things, such as black tire marks on a driveway or not writing down a work schedule on the family calendar. In fact, a lot of my childhood is filled with memories of violence and yelling. Michele and my dad would start arguing, and unlike the rest of my family, Michele wouldn't back down on her opinions, she stuck to them. Thus, a lot of their little arguments ended up in the police showing up at our door and countless nights in hotel rooms. .
I clearly remember huddling in a corner, watching my dad and sister fight with each other, knowing that she would take off running as soon as he raised his hand and in a few moments, the red and blue lights I had gotten so used to would begin to flash. Then, my mother, sister and I would spend the night in a hotel room and within a few days, it would be as if nothing had happened. Yet, I always remembered it, every emotion, every fear, even to this day, and thus, when I was younger, I would complain to Michele that I hated my dad for everything he had done to her and my family. My sister, still only a teenager wouldn't let me say such things, she convinced me that in spite of everything, I did love him, he was my dad.
Maybe this doesn't seem like that big of a deal, just something a sister would tell her younger sibling, but looking back at those moments now, her intelligence astounds me.
