Friday, June 8, 2012

my little brother


When I was 13 my little brother, Adam, and the 5th child in our family was born. I honestly wasn't too excited when my parents told me they were expecting - it was just embarrassing and weird because by then I knew exactly where babies came from. I will never forget walking into that hospital room at Memorial Hospital and seeing him laying in the warmer...and he had a shooter!! LOL! Just stating the obvious - after 4 girls this was new territory!

Life with my little brother has been different than my sisters from the start...but oh so sweet! He was a charmer from day one, and still is. He has these beautiful eyes that can still hit me straight in the heart. Growing up he was like my little side kick (I had a car seat in the backseat of my first car!). I took him to basketball games in high school, went on his field trips in elementary school when my mom couldn't make it, and took him on more than one date with Billy & I. Often I felt more like a momma to him than a sister.

I've heard people say he's been "spoiled" by having 4 others sisters who dote on him and love to compete for his affection. I personally hate the word "spoiled" unless it really applies. To me "spoiled" means rotten, no good, no longer valuable...my brother couldn't be farther than the meaning of that word.

In the last couple years I've watched him grow from a boy into a man. Physically he's now taller than Billy - love giving him a hug and feeling my head rest on his shoulder.  Kinda feels like he might be the one protecting me now. :) He's matured even more than he's physically grown. He's gone from a boy consumed with living in the moment (as we all are when we're teenagers) to a young man making choices based on how they reflect the kind of man he wants to be.I was proud of him before - always wanting to show him off and his many accomplishments - but that pales in comparison to how I feel about him now.


The day I took Adam's senior pictures I had my littlest Mason with me, and snapped this shot as Mas was getting a ride from Adam back up to the house. My boys adore Adam. They want to be just like him down to their cowboy belt buckles that he bought them last summer.

My husband & I always said that Adam would probably be one of the most influential people in our boys lives - even when Will was a baby and Adam was 10, Will copied him. I've prayed for years that my boys would have strong, Godly men in their lives that challenge them as become men. Watching Adam grow into this description has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.

He's a young man who knows what he believes in and isn't afraid to stand up for it. He's willing to sacrifice the "good" for the "best", the "temporary" for the "lasting". He's committed to honesty even when it's ugly. He's determined.  He loves deeply. He's a seeker of absolute truth. He's compassionate. He's this amazing balance between tender and strong. He's hilarious. He's spontaneous. He's passionate. He's courageous.

He's my little brother, who's now bigger than me....and he's my hero.
 

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