I want to be my little sister when I grow up 

Crystal with my daughter, Ciera, the day after she was born.

My little sister, Crystal, is strong, snarky and a great mom to her two boys. The thing is, she doesn’t believe me when I tell her these things. Too many people have tried to convince her otherwise, but I continue to sit here in awe at all she can accomplish with all the stress she has experienced in her short adult life -- with even more crazy circumstances hitting her in the last few months.

At a point most people would have given up, Crystal pushed harder for what was best for her boys. She literally gave up all of her physical possessions to give her children what they needed.

I can only hope to have that kind of dedication to my daughter.

I’m in the early stages of motherhood myself and I don’t think I could have done this without her. My husband works lots of hours, and we are both new to the parenting game. It’s a series of learning experiences, but when I need a shoulder to (literally) cry on or we just need a nap, she’s right there willing to pluck my little girl from my arms and directing us to take a moment.

In addition to being an awesome mother and sister, she’s also rocking being an aunt.

I love watching her interact with Cici. She finally gets how I feel about her boys. There’s this intense love that comes with being an aunt, and it’s so obvious when she looks at my daughter.

Of course, Crystal has a couple traits she can keep. She’s got the mouth of a sailor, jumps to conclusions faster than most people can even think about the situation at hand and she’s late to everything, which drives me mad. But when she gets there (usually an hour late), she is ready to do whatever she can to make life a little easier or lighten the mood.

Not enough people tell Crystal how amazing she is, so I’m here to shout it for everyone to hear.

My sister is my best friend and I’m proud of the woman, mother, aunt and all around person she has grown to be.

Sabrina is the editor of the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached at sabrinagcdw@gmail.com.