Oh Brother

I got online an hour ago to blog and spent my time "pinning" to my boards. You can go here to see all about it. It's such a fun way to organize everything and I can look at other people's boards to get some great dinner recipes and so much more.

Anywho...

Tonight I missed a call from my brother in Afghanistan which really bummed me out. However, I was able to text back and forth with my baby brother, Caleb. What a joy that was, even if he was in a bad mood! He never texts me so when he does for whatever reason, I am thrilled.

Caleb and I on the Golden Gate Bridge

My sweet brother Caleb is a senior in high school this year. I cannot believe he has made it. I remember this punk kid running around crazy in grade school. He always had a ton of energy. He is passionate. He is an envelope pusher. He does not take no for an answer when he knows there are other options. I love my dear brother. He is so much like me, it scares me. We are 4 years apart and seem to have the same view towards things.

He texted me tonight for a variety of reasons but what I think it boils down to is that everything is about to change for him...again. Our family is notorious for change. It could be moving houses every few years, school districts within one school year, or new father figures in our lives. We never had consistency in our lives which is why I crave it now and so does my brother.

Unfortunately, for him, he isn't going to get consistency. He is about to enter a huge period of change. He will graduate from high school and have to attend college and decide what to do for the rest of his life. I do not envy him at all. It was a rough period in my life and I know it will be a rough time for him as well. His emotions will get the best of him as they did for me. He will wake up crying and hating his life because all he wants is a sense of normalcy.

So many of us crave normalcy. We want a pattern that we can predict and we can follow to a tea. It doesn't matter what stage we are in our lives, the unknown scares the heck out of us. I feel for my brother, I really do. I am also beyond excited for him as he enters this new phase in his life.

I am learning, with God's help, how great the unknown actually is. It forces us to focus solely on God and His power. I am okay with the unknown knowing that God is there to guide me. I pray that my brother finds comfort in Christ as well. I pray that he understands that this unknown really isn't going to kill him. No matter what he does, he will do it with passion and I have always admired my brother for that.

At the Jelly Belly Factory in California! Don't we look like siblings? :)