Over a decade ago, my senior year English teacher gave each of us a copy of Dr. Seuss’ Oh the Places You’ll Go. It’s such a sweet story about entering a new chapter, stepping out on your own and experiencing everything that life has to offer. I loved the story so much that I sent it to my biological siblings and the siblings I’ve adopted along the way throughout their high school careers. This weekend, my youngest brother Stephen graduated.

This particular graduation has had a bigger impression on me than  most. Being the last of the 6 siblings, we’ve experienced other graduations and celebrations, but the finality of the last sibling high school graduation stays with me.  I’m a sucker for nostalgia and though we didn’t all graduate from the same high school, each of our graduations were held at the same venue. The first and the last… the four in between… and now we’re done.

Watching my brother walk across the stage reminded me of my own graduation —  the anxiety and the excitement. It also brought memories of finding out my mom was pregnant for the 5th time and my long-standing joke that my brother was in my middle school yearbook more times than I was because.. he really was. Now, I watch him finish high school in the same manner that I did with so many things the same, yet so different. Thankfully, he’s grown so much in this year and as he ventures off to Missouri my heart will sink a little knowing that one more sibling is out of my arm’s reach. I relish in the fact that I can still hop on a plane and beat him up if needed.