Brothers

Exciting new from this week - I have started volunteering at the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society this week. Though I feel like I may not be the best person for this work I am loving it. I get to see the coolest stuff and they are so excited to have me. They have me on a pretty big project. I am in the process of trying to categorize the contents of three large boxes from an old town historian. I have come across pictures of buildings downtown being built, the arch being built and what it originally said, years worth of pictures of paper boys for the telegraph, pictures and descriptions of what used to be a sort of trading post, and so much more. And I haven't even really looked at what they already have at the society. It is an incredible opportunity for me and I am excited to learn from all the people that volunteer there. 

This could also be a great experience and aid in me getting a job in the Public Library in the coming months. So be praying for me because I think that would be such a great place for me to be. I continue to get ideas of things I would want to do there and others continue to tell me they think I would do great there. 

Now onto to why this post is titled "Brothers."

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero." - Marc Brown

In the past couple weeks I have been doing something I often do and that is thinking about how well loved I am. I believe that one of the ways God has shown me that he loves me is by surrounding me with so many incredible people who love me. That often blows my mind. And It just so happens that quite a few of those people I call my brothers and my brothers know how to love me well. 

But I haven't always seen how I have been well loved by my brothers. I have had to learn that guys love differently than girls which means that my brothers may not love me in a way that I always notice. This means I have had to tell myself to pay attention to the little things. So I extend the same words as a reminder to the women in my life who have brothers. Brothers may not greet you screaming like your best girlfriends will, brothers may not always say they love you, brothers may not always be affectionate but that does not mean you are not loved by your brothers.  

My brothers often love in a more silent way. 

(And now I am going to say this is an example but I am also bragging about my brothers because my brothers are worth bragging about.)

For example - 

My brothers often love me by trying to protect me like when after my transplant last summer Stees, the dog, came down to camp and I was not supposed to be near pets and Graham stood in front of me as a sort of barrier. 

My brothers often love me by wanting to be near me like when they want to sit by me in church or during chapel at camp which many of my brothers do. 

My brothers often love me by sharing something with me like when my brother from the same womb, Mikey, shared his Scooby Snack Graham Crackers with me cause he knows I love them even though it was part of his breakfast while working. 

My brothers often love me by creating silly little gifts for me like when Cory used to draw pictures for me during church.

My brothers often love me by wanting to make me laugh which is not hard to do but all my brothers enjoy doing. 

My brothers often love me by texting or calling me out of the blue like Kenny has a habit of doing. 

My brothers often love me by letting me take care of them or their stuff like when Gar gives me the contents of his pockets before he plays pretty much any sport for fun and I am around. 

For me I often feel most loved in the moments where theses things occur because it is their love in action. It may not be a shout or a large display but I find that it is often the simple things that make me feel like I have immense value. It is in these things that I know that I am loved just as they know when I call them idiots that is a way that I love them. 

I think I should start saying what Tina Fey says in the trailer for "This is Where I Leave You" to her on screen brothers - "You're idiots but you're my idiots."