I wasn't always so thankful for my little brother. When we were kids, I was pretty well convinced that his only purpose in life was to annoy and disgust me. I'm fairly ashamed of my attitude toward him back then, but I doubt it's very unusual for a young girl to view her little brother that way. I do understand my moms frustration, though, as my girls tend to treat each other in much the same way that I treated my brother. Mother's curse, I guess!
Wade had some struggles in grade school and I had trouble understanding his need for extra time and attention. As we got older, my folks found ways to help me get more involved in understanding him and he and I found some common interests to connect us. When the boy whom the experts had told my parents would likely never graduate high school managed to graduate from the University of Southern California with honors, I flew across the country, eight months pregnant, to be there. There was no way I was going to miss that moment in the life of the little brother that I had come to respect and admire...and be proud of.
My little brother never was a typical boy, always more interested in his stories than in any sports. The imagination that kept him entertained also set him apart. While he was always well liked, he was often left alone with that imagination as many people were simply unsure of how to join him in his world. It's that same imagination, as well as a refusal to mold himself to what society might expect of him, that makes him extremely popular with kids today, especially his nieces and nephew. With a Master's degree in education, he puts his talents to use teaching at a university in South Korea as well as pursuing numerous creative endeavors in writing, making movies, creating teaching curriculum, story tellers clubs, etc. He has so many interests and pursuits I have a hard time keeping up with everything he's doing.
I am definitely thankful for a brother who marches to the beat of a different drummer, loves his family devotedly, is an extremely popular uncle to my kids and never backs away from something that he believes in. But more than that, I'm thankful that God opened my eyes to see the amazing person that Wade really is.
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2 comments:
Awesome, thanks sis! Yea, I have a hard time keeping up with everything I'm doing as well. Thankfulness is so important. You are so right, and we do have a wonderful family to be grateful for. I'm also very thankful for my sister and the rest of my family as well. Thanks Heidi.
It's been a really good exercise, reminding myself of all the reasons I really am grateful for you guys. Even if nobody reads it, it has served its purpose for me!
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