Family. Extended. Forever. And Always. Connected. Intertwined. Interwoven. Loved.
Let me introduce you to the people I call mine. These are the people who knew me before I really knew me.
Dad, from whom I inherit most of my looks and a large part of my personality.
Mom, who chooses to see the best in me…and understands me more than I'd like to admit.
My sweet little brothers who are now 15 and 21. Yes, this is the obligatory "first day of school" shot.
This is the cast to the first part of the movie of my life…or the movie of theirs. Whichever. It's not all about me. Clearly. They are integral to the person I am and the person I am becoming. I'd like to be integral in their lives, too. I've found since we've moved to Charlotte (which we did when my youngest brother was just 11) it's been harder to stay connected with my brothers and my dad. I've never been one to call up my brothers and chit-chat on the phone (Do they think I'm stupid? What will we talk about? Do they think I'm insanely uncool?) and the physical distance just made it harder to connect…and easier to excuse.
Well, this summer my youngest brother has come to live with us in Charlotte. We've been planning this since Christmastime…and it is possibly the greatest adventure I will have this year. The last time we lived in the same house, he was 7. I was incredibly nervous (hope he isn't reading this!!) before he came to stay…those same questions loomed in my head. Would he get bored? Would he think I was lame? What if I say something stupid?
But, I've put myself out there in hopes of getting to know him again. He's certainly not the same 7 year old I left at home. And, although we've done holidays each year and he's come to visit a few times…I feel like I'm getting to know a whole new person. He is an articulate and incredibly smart young man. I hope and pray that he grows up to be a man who respects women, who loves, who trusts, who learns, and who teaches. I hope he's a leader and able to admit when he's wrong. Basically, I hope all the same things for him that I hope for my own sons.
I can't wait to spend time with him…hopefully unraveling a little bit of his mysterious teenage self. :) I think we'll take a roadie and watch a lot of the World Cup. Family is probably the single greatest gift one could be given, and I don't want to take for granted a single component of mine. We are in the business of loving people well in the Twig Family–and I can't wait to have the chance to dig deeper with my brother and love him better.
Ahhh! Wish me luck. This adventure makes me more nervous than any other this year!