The gift of a sibling

When I imagine their future, I see him kidnapping her most coveted doll, holding it hostage until she shares her Halloween candy. I see her getting even by lacing his morning cereal with cayenne pepper when he's too busy watching cartoons.

I see them scheming against us. Covering up each other's lies so she can sneak out of the house or so he can skip his first period Spanish test.

I see him helping her navigate an overwhelming first day of high school, showing her a shortcut to her next class and demonstrating a surefire way to open her locker on the first try. I see her rolling her eyes at her gaggle of friends who insist that her brother is way cute.

And I see him protecting her, dishing out the my-dad-has-an-arsenal threats to any boy who makes her cry. And I see her proudly dropping his name as if to say, "Don't you know who my brother is?"

Though I can daydream, only God knows what their future, as brother and sister, will hold.

So I pray. And pray and pray. Because I want to see my children create memories and share experiences that will forever bless them as siblings.

It is such a gift that she will forever have a big brother and he will forever have a little sister.