Fadedwords

My dad and mom called me into their bedroom one morning and told me that Mom was going to have a baby. I was terribly excited, so excited that I jumped on my bed for quite some time afterwards. Then I went next door to tell my friend the fantastic news. She quickly let me know that baby brothers were the worst thing ever, and that if I was smart I would run away with her. She sounded pretty sure of herself, so I decided she must be right.

We went to the park that’s about a block from the house. Our plan was to live in the slides… and that’s about the extent of it. It was still pretty cold out, but we thought we’d be alright. My Dad showed up, and instead of convincing me to go home he brought me a sleeping bag and told me I knew where the house was if I wanted to go back.

After about an hour, and eating ice icicles for lunch I thought maybe a little brother or sister wouldn’t be nearly as bad as eating ice and living in a slide. So I went home. Several months later on July 6th my brother was born.

Over the years there have been times that I’ve been in absolute awe of how wonderful he is. There have been times I’ve wanted to shake him silly or strangle him. I was the in residence babysitter. I have been nearby for nearly every major stepping stone throughout his young life.

Today my “little” brother graduated from high school. In a little more than a week he will turn 19. I cannot believe so many years have passed in the blink of an eye. He has become the kind of young man that I think it’s hard to be these days. He is honest, caring, empathetic, intelligent and strong. I feel truly lucky that I’ve been able to be a part of his life… and that I’ve been able to stand by and watch this wonderful man that he has become.

Congratulations Kid. I love you.

You can see all of the photos from graduation here.