I was in third grade when I heard the news. I remember walking home from school and seeing Jackie’s car parked outside. I haven’t seen her in about two months and I was so happy to see my favorite sister. I dropped my backpack at the front door and ran to the kitchen where she was. She was sitting at the table with a smirk on her face but she was always the mysterious type. I ran to give her a big hug and thats when her boyfriend said, “be careful”. I didn’t understand why he was saying that but then a few seconds later Jackie looked me in the eye and said, “You’re gonna be an aunt”. Did she really mean what I thought she meant? I thought you had to be older to be an aunt I guess I didn’t know any better at the age of 8.

At that moment I felt like it was too good to be true, my sister was only 19 years old. So many questions were running through my mind, when will it be born, is it a boy or a girl, what’s the name going to be? She couldn’t ev en answer my questions cause she was barely a few weeks pregnant. Either way, I was excited to be an aunt.

After four long months, I was finally able to find out what my sister was having. She showed me a picture of the ultrasound and I had no idea what I was looking at. She pointed out the baby’s face and told me “It’s a girl” can’t you tell? I really couldn’t tell I just knew that I couldn’t wait for her to be born.

The five months after finding out the gender of the baby felt like forever! I am so thankful for the day October 2nd 2002. This was the day I laid my eyes on a beautiful girl i call my niece. It was such a rush of excitement that I had never felt before. I started into her brown little eyes and right away I fell in love. I was so anxious to hold her. My sister set her in my arms and I couldn’t believe she was ours. She was an angel. I ran my fingers across her smooth face and at that moment I knew that I would love Jasmine for the rest of my life.

It was such a new experience for me. I would’ve never imagined being an Aunt at such a young age. Her innocence makes me feel like a little kid again. 8 years I had wait. All my life I had wished for a little sister but instead God blessed me Jasmine. My relationships with my sisters are unbreakable but the relationship I have with my niece doesn’t compare to the ones with my sisters. Whenever I’m with her she always has something new to share with me. It’s a feeling I wouldn’t change for the world. No matter how much of a pain she can be she never fails to put a smile on my face.