Since age 4, I’ve been blessed with 5 brothers & 1 sister (so far) . And each with their own personalities have come to make up who I proudly refer to as my siblings.
At age 4, my first sibling was given to me. I don’t remember my exact feelings on having a new baby brother, but I like to believe I was at least a little excited. Looking at pictures, I know we played together, but I also know we had our moments of getting on each other’s nerves. My mom likes to tell us that whenever she received a phone call, Daniel & I instantly began fighting. We really did get a long and I think grew closer through my parent’s divorce. We had to grow up a little earlier than planned and embrace the lifestyle of children whose parents live across the country from each other. To this day, I’m still thankful that I had Daniel through all the trips back and forth. It would have been so much harder without him by my side. Daniel has always been the all-star athlete. With soccer, football, basketball, baseball, and track under his belt, sports always were a part of him. Today, his priorities are different: school is #1. I appreciate his determination once he gets his mind on something. At a younger age, it was playing all the sports he could, and now it’s getting into pharmacy school.
10 years old brought a divorce, a marriage, & a new brother. Tommy is a month younger than Daniel and when we met him, I thought the two brothers would hit it off and I’d be left behind while they played together. To my surprise, it’s actually turned out that I have a closer relationship with Tommy than Daniel does, mostly because they are polar opposites. While Daniel was interested in sports, Tommy was interested in music. While Daniel was helpful, Tommy preferred to sleep in & be by himself. Tommy was always open to playing or going somewhere, but just on his own time. I think that’s what I admire about him most: he has always stayed true to himself. My dad & step-mom have always been on his case about getting to school on time & remembering to do things, but through it all, Tommy has finished everything slowly, but surely. He’s currently attending college in New Hampshire and has his own radio show!
When I was 11 years old, I received yet another brother. This time I can recall being very excited because I thought he would be my real-life baby doll and I couldn’t wait to play with him! Unfortunately, with my dad & step-mom moving to New Hampshire when he was not even a year old, neither Daniel nor I got to grow up with Brian. With trips back East happening once, maybe twice a year, it took a couple days for Brian to remember who we were. And that broke my heart. To this day, I believe that he’s not as comfortable around us because we haven’t grown up together, which still makes me sad. As a 13 year old boy, he’s shyly quiet. I wish I had the ability to go back & spend more time with him. He is the one sibling I feel like I don’t know enough about. I will always love him more than words can say!
{Daniel, me, Tommy, & Brian}Laura is Sam’s older sister, whom I remember being very nervous meeting for the first time. To my reassurance, she was equally as nervous as well because Sam had never brought anyone home before. We hit it off quickly and now I couldn’t be more thankful for my first (&, currently, only) sister! Laura works for the state with children that are in the system. She is always working late hours and still makes time to help her husband’s youth group. I wish we lived in the same town because I know we’d see each other at least a couple times a week. Maybe one day!
Josh is Laura’s husband. They have been married for 6 years and still look as in love with each other as they did when I met them. Josh works for their church as the youth pastor and is currently attending school to become a pastor. The passion that he has for the church & those he meets through it is awesome. I know I can always count on a good conversation with Josh and what a great listener he is! I’m his first sister (in-law) and I like to remind him that I’m his only sister for a laugh or two.
Matt is Sam’s younger (but older than me) brother. I met Matt when I first started hanging out with Sam (pre-dating) and could already see the similarities between the two brothers. It’s been fun getting to know Matt and see where his passion lies. He enjoys playing games and going on adventures. If you looked into Matt’s trunk, you’d find almost every kind of sports ball known to man. You’re also almost assured to have a good time whenever Matt’s around. He loves his family and friends and I look forward to see what God has in store for him.
{Sam, me, Josh, Laura, & Matt}To my siblings: Thank you for being you & loving me as a sister!
To my parents (mom, dad, step-mom, FIL, MIL) : Thank you for each & every one of the above!
No comments:
Post a Comment