The Blessing of Brothers

Happy 1^st Birthday Daniel!!  Can’t believe my baby boy is 1 today!  After three days of labor that didn’t even start until after my due date, little Daniel was well worth the wait!  Thank you Lord for blessing our lives and our family with this precious child!  (more pictures at the end)

On Daniel’s birthday and in keeping with last week’s post, “A New Question,” I am reflecting on the blessing of brothers, biological or otherwise.

It is the sweetest thing… just in the past week or two, Daniel has taken breaks from his crazy adventures of running around the kitchen to see what else he can find, bang against the wall, and stick in his mouth in order to play with John.  If John is lying on the floor playing with a toy, Daniel will position himself right next to him and start playing beside or with him.  It has completely melted my heart.  Daniel now understands in his newfound 1-year-old maturity (haha) that he needs to go to John in order to play with him and engage in his world.

Instead of only seeing John and Daniel as my children, I am really taking them in for the first time and experiencing them as brothers.  There is life beyond their identities as our children.  Who knew?  (Smile).  They are brothers. They are there for each other.  They delight in each other. 

The dream I had for Warren and John continues to be redeemed.  No, Daniel doesn’t replace Warren but he has provided a brother in the flesh for John and John for Daniel.  And as we celebrate one child, we celebrate the others as well.  

John and Daniel will be eating side by side in their high chairs, and John will reach over and touch Daniel’s hand.  They will try to imitate each other as one throws his head into the back of his high chair to enjoy the loud noise he can produce.  They connect with each other and make eye contact.  And John still mostly thinks it is funny when Daniel cries and fusses, looking at me with a knowing smile.

Daniel plays hide and seek with John...

Daniel sits on John...

Daniel performs for John!
And John sure loves Daniel and adds SO very much to his life too!

What a gift to have a brother.  What a greater gift to have access to the One who sticks closer than a brother… Who pursues us… Who gets down on the floor with us to engage us… Who comes into our space and loves us right where we are.

“There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Proverbs 18:24

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

1 John 3:16

We had a family get together for Daniel’s birthday this weekend, and the celebrations aren’t over yet!  I am all in favor of birthday weeks or months; we all need more than one day!

The much anticipated moment

Really?  All this for me?
 (I promised I wouldn't speak in first person for my children, but alas I guess I was wrong!)

With Uncle Cole

Very serious...

Pure delight!