Dear Sister (Happy 10th Birthday)

Dear Anya,

Today you enter the double-digits. Part of me doesn't quite believe that it was so long ago since I held you. If we could shed bits of our souls to forever remain in the moments of our lives that mark us, surely a good part of mine would still be there with you, on that day in 2013, holding you and existing with you. 

Yet here we are - a full decade later. Time can be both wondrous and cruel. People enter and leave our lives, change for the better and the worst, and we bear witness to it as best we can, trying to remember who we were at different points in our lives but forgetting most of it. 

This year I wanted to give the chance to William and Juliette to capture their own reflections about you, at the ages of 8 and 6. I don't know how they will think of you as they age - certainly that is going to continue to evolve as they reflect more and more deeply on life and mortality. I want them to be able to look back and remember who they were, and what you were to them at this point in their lives.

I asked them each if they would like to write you a letter, with no specific instructions. Here is what they wrote:

William:

Juliette: 

 I also asked them three questions:

1. Is there anything you wish you knew about Anya that you don't know?
2. Tell me about how you think of her as part of our family.
3. What would you like her to know about you?

Here's what they had to say:

They wonder about your hair, how you would play with them, and importantly Juliette would like you to know that she likes unicorns. 

It's heartwarming to see the place they hold for you in their own little hearts, and to see that ten years later, our love for you can continue to grow.

Happy birthday Anya.

Dad