A short note of encouragement

To my dear little sister,
You are about to begin one of the hardest and most memorable times of your life. You'll have school and work and marching band, friends and family, young women's and loads of homework.

So if I could compile all the advice I have to give for making it through the unsure days ahead, it would be these.

I'm writing this for every day you come home exhausted but still have chores to do,
And for the late night essays.
This is for those days after band camp when your body is so sore, you don't know if you can get up the next day and do it all over again,
And for the days you find yourself doubting your faith.
For every night that you cry yourself to sleep.
This is for the moments that you feel so alone, 
and the moments you question your worth.
This is for you my darling little sister:

You are stronger than you think.
and you'll never know how strong you really are until you push yourself harder than you ever have before.
Don't you dare give up.
With every step, you'll be a little farther,
with every day, you'll be a little stronger,
Every season, a little better,
And every year, a little closer to your dreams.

This is for the day when you can look around yourself and say, "this is where I belong."
And I promise that day will come.
Because if nowhere else, you can always find your way back to family.
You must never forget how much I accept you and love you. No matter what you've been though or who you've become, you will always be my little sister.

And my best friend.