Thursday, March 11, 2010

My Boys

When I was growing up I always wondered what it would have been like to have had an older brother. I think things like this are normal to think about - you wonder about a "what if" and wonder about things that didn't end up being your specific reality. What if I had been good at sports but not creative? What if we had lived in California and not NC? So, that same wondering happened regarding sibling life: I have one, younger sister, so I wondered what it would have been like to have an older brother.
Lucky for me I have never believed that family strictly means blood-related. Because if you ask me, I pretty much got 3 big brothers out of these dear boys. They're all just enough older than me to be way protective of me but not too much older to not be some of my very favorite, very dearest, closest friends.
I don't get them all in one place as often as I'd like. I can pull off a 2-out-of-3 rather often in different combinations, but there's something about the 3 of them together that I adore more than anything. They love each other so stinkin' much and just have the best time together.
I love that they open doors for me and pull out chairs for me and know what to order me to drink if I'm late (which I never am, but you know, just in case). I can tell their moods from 2 words on the phone and from the second they walk in the door. I love that my parents treat them like sons and that they treat my mom and dad like another set of parents.They have taught me how I deserve to be treated, and right after my dad, they are the reasons that I have such high standards for guys. They have allowed me to see with my own two eyes strong, honest, Godly men. I have seared into my memory a night that they were all at my apartment in college, and we sat in the floor of my bedroom while they told me how much they adored me and that they would never let someone who wasn't good enough pass by them to get to me. They would absolutely drop everything and come running for me if I needed them (and believe me, they have), and I would do the same for them without hesitation. We have laughed together in fun and cried together in pain.
I love them because they are the same in some ways but so different in others. I love their sweet spirits and big hearts and fabulous hugs. They without a doubt make my world a better place. Every. Single. Day.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I told Gretch after the weekend, "Spending more time with Rebecca, Wes, and Jason is probably what excites me most about staying on the East coast". I love y'all so much, and so do the kids. We feel very blessed to have you in our lives. I hope that Mary and James grow up thinking that Uncle Wes, Uncle Whitey and Aunt Rebecca are actually part of our family.