When I was a little girl, I idolized my sister. Everything she did, I wanted to do. Everything she wore, I wanted to wear. I wanted to be just like my big sister – to the point where it annoyed her.

We went through different phases as we aged – we fought a lot, then became best friends, then when she became engaged and I became more involved in college, we drifted apart a little bit.

About a year and a half ago, she got engaged to her long-term boyfriend, and thus started the process of planning the wedding. Just about a week ago from when this will be published, she got married at Giando’s in Brooklyn and organized a beautiful ceremony of about 150 people.

Up until the moment that I gave the Maid of Honor speech, and proceeded to cry as I recounted some fond memories together, I realized how much I had taken her presence in my life for granted.

She watched after me when I was in my precarious teenage years. I always knew that if I had a problem, I should probably call my sister Dawn and not my parents. She was always taking me out to dinner, buying me clothes and spending a large portion of her time with me (which I always made fun of her for, and told her it was because she didn’t have any friends).

When the years passed and she started spending less time with me, I forgot about all these wonderful memories we had together, and spent my time surrounded by friends. It’s easy to forget about people, memories and what is important when you have so many other things on your plate.

Either way, the wedding made me realize that when people deserve to be in your life, sometimes you have to suck up your pride in order to keep them there. When Dawn was feeling hurt because I was disconnected from the wedding process, I apologized, cried and reevaluated where I had placed her in my life.

Some of us may forget about family because they will “always be there” whereas your friends may not.  But isn’t that more of a reason to respect and treat your family better than your friends?

I think as college students we try to detach from our families in order to achieve a more whole independence. However, at the end of the day, who will be more likely to be there for you – your sibling that has always been there or a friend that you just met a month ago?

I consider myself very fortunate to have spent years and years cultivating a relationship with someone as wonderful as my sister. We share the same laugh, similar mannerisms and a similar sharp wit and biting sarcasm. In many senses, she was the calm, cool and collected person that I needed to balance out my emotional, wild, and erratic self.

In a way, the relationship that can exist between siblings is the most precious and easily built.  While it may be easy to forget about the people that have always been there for us, we should not take them for granted and we should be there for them when they need us. After all, if that’s what friends are for, that’s what siblings should be for too.

So always remember to prioritize and treat your family well – it could be something as simple as texting them everyday if they’re far away or sending them thoughtful e-mails. Either way, it’s time to start remembering what matters most at the end of the day – and that’s the bond that exists between siblings and family.

To contact The Ionian’s Heather Nannery, e-mail her at [email protected]