Brotherly Love

Life is Good: and precious

Our big kid has been home sick from school for three days. And he has been miserable. Not because he feels bad--he's had a fever that rises pretty high, then drops down a little, then rises again, but no real discomfort beyond feeling tired. The misery has come from not getting to go to school. Every day, he pleads to go and then complains that he "won't learn a single thing today!" Poor kid. He really loves school and we are so grateful for that.

There's someone else in this house that has been miserable the past couple of days, too. No, it isn't me. I've definitely been kept on my toes here and there, but it's been okay. The miserable one is our little kid. Each morning, the first thing he asks me is if his big brother is sick. When I tell him that he is, he frowns dramatically and tells me how very, very sad he is about this. It's been hard on everyone---I've tried to sequester all three kids in hopes that while the big kid is getting healthy again, the other two will remain that way. Being apart has made us all feel out of balance.

Today, in an act part defiance and 100% love, the little kid went and got a chair from his little table and chair set and carried it to the door of the big kid's bedroom. Then, he went and got some toys and sat on the chair. He asked his brother, "Do you want to play with me? I stay right here and you watch."

And so I just had to write this down. It was the sweetest moment. Totally ordinary, but nonetheless impactful to me. I need to remember this. This is one of those moments to treasure. This is who we are. Sure, we go places, we do things, we know people. We're lucky and fortunate and blessed in many ways. But when it comes down to it, it's moments like this one that define our family. There's nothing more rewarding to Grant or me than to see these sweet little, voluntary displays of love shared between our children. This, is love. This, is family.