Josie.

My dad grew up in Webster City, Iowa. It is a small rural town, near Ames. He went to Webster City High School, and grew up with someone named Paul Pursley. They lived together in college, and have remained friends throughout their entire life. The greatest gift of that relationship has not been for the two of them, but instead their two teenage daughters. I was born in September of 2003, and then in February of 2004, Josie was born. Her snowy white hair contrasted my golden blonde. Her athletic and dancing abilities went hand in hand with my incessant singing. Our childhood was filled with soft grass, sun hitting our pale skin. We read books until our eyes hurt and laughed until we couldn't breathe. We wept over Old Dan and Little Ann in Where the Red Fern Grows. She showed me the Foo Fighters, and I talked to her about The Beatles. We learned how to do the sign of the cross and memorized Taylor Swift lyrics and drew them on our arms. We experienced our First Communions and wore white veils as we learned what theatre was and explored our identities on stage. She held me as I suffered loss after loss of my family members. I walked her through the loss of someone still alive, and showed her the ideas of self love and growth, and putting yourself before creating connections with other people. We were inseparable. Argued like sisters, and could bounce Harry Potter trivia off of each other like it was part of our DNA. Our faith and friendship intertwined as we ascended through our Catholic elementary school. We traded Jodi Picoult books and discussed Jekyll and Hyde. The bond we shared was different than my other relationships. Our relationship was so pure and genuine. We truly wanted the best for each other. I trust her with my life, and she is the closest person to me on this planet. She showed me a different side of strength. I saw resilience in her. Hard work. I struggled for a long time finding strong women and ideas of girl power in my Catholicism. But I realized that I had that emblem of strength in my life, and I was so lucky to know and love her. Josie is forward-thinking and so logical. She is grounded, but pushes me, herself, and others to pursue their passions. She has kept her faith and trust in God close to her heart, but does not let the boundaries of Catholicism hold her back. Nor does she use it as a tool to discriminate against others. She is a good person. With her guidance, I have realized that I can do both. I can believe in what I was raised with, and still grow in my own political beliefs and identity. Josie is my sister, and my best friend. I have talked to her every day of my entire life and that will never change. Having her in my life is proof that my faith is real. When everything is lonely she is there. I love her with everything I have, and I will never be able to express what she has taught me about strength.