Budding Buddies

My own relationships with my siblings has never been what I imagined it would be like.  I see my friends with sisters and envy the closeness they share.  The bond they have is a tightly connected one.  My mother has this same connection with her own sisters.  They are united together and when devastation came in the form of death of their parents they drew strength from one another as they mourned the losses, reminisced, and shared the responsibilities of caring for the ones that passed.  My younger siblings are 12+ years younger than me so a relationship that is closer won't happen until they are older, which is ok, I can be patient.  My older sister and I are only two years apart... but almost completely withdrawn and it continues to worsen as we get older.  I have moments when I believe the relationship can be mended but those are fleeting and majority of the time I have little to no hope of healing occurring.

I turn my attention to my own kids.  Because I am keenly aware of sibling rivalry and jealousy I pray against those things ripping them apart.  At this point, it seems promising... which may be because they are 6 years apart and also boy/girl.

Jackson is an incredibly sweet and sensitive boy, Brynn could not have been given a better big brother.  He cares for her in a way that exemplifies patience beyond what I have ever been able to give him.  At almost 8 years old his mind works to put pieces of people together and view them in a way that sees beyond the surface.  He is smart when it comes to the behavior of others, he understands what is going on and the pain people feel.  He desires to protect Brynn.  He worries about her soul.  He won't defend himself against others of any size and this is especially true with his little sister.  Brynn is a tough cookie, she's got the spirited little sister role down and she does not shy away from roughness.  She loves to be in on the action when Jackson roughhouses and I believe she thinks she is bigger than she is.  But she loves her big brother.  Every night is the same, she must, and I mean MUST get into Jackson's bed with him.  Even if we come home and he is already asleep in his bed, she cries until she snuggles up to him, does a few alligator rolls, and lovingly pinches his ear.  Some nights she mimics him by "reading" a book next to him.  Other nights she commandeers his stuffed animals as he shows her the stars projected on the ceiling.  I love watching them interact and I pray I don't get in the way of the growing relationship, that I can help them grow to love each other in a way that is pleasing to God.  I see them being each other's biggest supporters in life, that the love of Jesus will be seen in them, I see Brynn showing Jackson how to use his voice and I see Jackson helping Brynn to harness hers with kindness.   These two are gifts that keep on giving, small people with bright souls.