Brother's Day

I am the youngest of four children, three boys and one girl. I love it though! What I love even more, though, is the age span between all of us. My parents pretty much had two sets of kiddos. My oldest two brothers, Kevin and Rob, are 41 and 39 (I think, haha). Then a few years, a long few years, later, the ‘rents had my brother Caleb (26) and myself (23). Pretty big gap, huh? I mean, it seems even bigger when you say that I was born five days before Kevin graduated from high school!! WOW.

I do believe that growing up with three boys has had a hand in shaping who I ended up becoming (i.e. the “type” of girl :)). Let’s just say that I had one Barbie growing up, one that someone gave to me as a gift…she didn’t get much, if any, attention (sorry Kay May, it was the thought that counted). Instead, I spent a lot of time playing outside…backyard football, baseball with a bunch of ghost men, 2-on-2 basketball with only 2 people, haha. You get the picture. I was beat down and beat up (mainly by Caleb), and it taught me how to fight back and stand my ground. So I guess all the bruises were worth it …it toughened my skin a little bit. And I’m proud to say that I’ve beaten Caleb in one-on-one, after which he threw a huge fit…let’s go!!!!!! (I don’t know why he was so upset…I just learned from the best.)

The point is, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY BROTHERS!!!!! I couldn’t ask for any better brothers. FOR REAL!!! Even though we are so far apart age wise, we are so close!! It’s the coolest thing!!

Kevin…he’s the tell-you-like-it-is/what-he-feels, family man. I love it!! I’m not gonna lie, as a little kid I used to be scared of him. I used to be afraid that I was going to get on his nerves or do something wrong. HAHA. Today, I practically live at his house half the time. The other day my aunt asked me if I got to see him and Erin much. His response, “I think I’m claiming her as a dependent this year.”

I love seeing who Kevin is continuing to become. He has a great heart! I love watching him lead his family and be the spiritual leader in his household. He is such a great father!! For real…those kids adore him. For me, he’s such an example of living out his life, simply seeking to honor Christ…in everything he does. It’s awesome!!

He’s my brother, my running partner, my pseudo father, my friend…my hero.

Rob. Oh, Rob. I just smile when I think about him. For real, he is one of the coolest people in the world!!! No lie. I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone like him! He is GOOFY as ever, laid back, and doesn’t really care what people think about him. His heart is AMAZING. I can’t even explain it! He has such a huge heart for people; it just breaks for people who hurt. He’s a weeper. Precious. :).

I absolutely love Rob because he’s so real. I mean, I never have to act a certain way around him (not to say that I do around my other brothers). It’s just a “what you see is what you get” kinda thing. One of my favorite memories with Rob is when I was taking him to Fort Jackson in South Carolina for his CHBOLC. It was so cool. For eight hours, just me and him, driving down the road being goofy one second and the next talking about life and crying with each other.

Currently, he is a Chaplain in the US Army, and he is stationed in Mosul, Iraq…an ultimate act of selflessness. Leaving his family behind and going to serve not only our country, but his fellow soldiers. He desires to be Jesus to them, loving them and living life with them.

He’s my brother, my twin, my confidant, my advisor…my hero.

Last, but not least…Bub. We’re best friends!!! Oh gosh, I just love him to death! It took him a while to realize how cool I was, hahaha. I always tell him that when he was in high school, his friends were nicer to me than he was! He can still be mean every now and then, but I know he really loves me ;).

He’s probably a good mix of Kevin and Rob. He can be goofy, but he doesn’t like to go too overboard…that kind of stuff can annoy him. Ha. He is a hard worker who is focused and determined. He passionately pours everything he has into his work and definitely prefers to stay in the background. Like both Kevin and Rob, he’s a leader, and everyone LOVES him.

Bub is a coach and a teacher, and his kids worship him. It’s funny, because he can be so sarcastic and mean to them sometimes, but they still think he’s the best thing since sliced bread, haha. He loves his basketball boys like they were his own kids. He only desires to see them grow as people and players. He would do anything for them. Just the other day, his player’s dad was in the hospital; Caleb dropped everything and went to the hospital to be with them. There are not many guys out there like that.

He’s my brother, my best friend, my partner in crime, my favorite coach…

my hero.

So today, I am especially thankful for my three brothers and the blessing they are in my life!!!! I love them like crazy and wouldn’t trade ANYTHING in the world for them! I can’t imagine life without them.

There’s Mother’s Day and Father’s Day…why not Brother's Day?