He made me buzz off all his locks yesterday.
I thought I would be heart broken.
But instead I discovered my brother. Underneath all those curls, there was Luke staring back at me. All the strong, sturdy lines of a face I’ve known since 1981. There it was today, grinning up at me and making my heart clench fist tight in that old familiar way.
It’s been two and a half years since you two first met and last saw each other.
Beautiful Luke of the blue eyes and blonde hair. The little brother who calls me Lisssa-Jo in just the same way that Micah does too. Luke of the passionate heart and tender spirit; Luke who I’ve mothered in all the ways he probably wished I hadn’t since we were both just into our double digits; Luke of the nights spent on the green couch in our loft when he oh-so-sincerely wasn’t falling in love with Carine; and Luke of the wedding, and the wife, and the growing up into Carine’s husband.
I remember how our Auntie Lies once described my lanky little brother as a chunky, stocky toddler who ran headfirst at life. And today, an ocean away, there he was grinning great gusto right up and into my eyes while hanging over the foot of the bed.
I pray Micah inherits more than your features, my little brother. I pray he inherits your compassion. I pray he follows your determination to grab faith by both hands and wrestle it off the pages of Scripture and into real life. I pray he harbors a deep well of creativity like yours, and draws from it to tell the only story that matters. The story that lives in every character you paint with words, no matter how battered or broken they are.
And I hope he gets to spend many a summer with you. Teach him about jacaranda trees and movie sets and send him home to me with more than just your looks.
Send him home with your story.
Lovingly linked to Emily’s place – where a group of star gazers find beauty in the everyday extraordinary.
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What an amazing tribute to your baby brother! Sounds like the two of you have an incredible connection!! How precious and sacred for you and your family!
What a blessing to have such a brother that your children can learn from. He sounds like an amazing man!
Oh Lisa-Jo
Thank you for this. It made me miss you all even more than usual.
*Huge* love
Aren’t genes just the most amazing things?! Give that Micah a tight hug from his great aunt! So much love coming your way …
I hoped this post would lure you out of the wood work! We miss youguys. Like a lot. And Micah? He gives the best rugby like hugs in the world!
What a beautiful heartfelt post!
Your little boy is gorgeous…. curls or no curls :)
Blessings to you~
suzy
I think genes just point is in the direction of the covenant and every time you are your brother in m, it’s a grace reminder. My #3 has My grandmother’s eyes, we lost her over the weekend, but am feeling similar grace when I look in his eyes… As always, *blessings* to you
Oh – so many blessings your way, Lib! So sorry to hear of your loss, but such a blessing to know she lives on in your kids! The beauty of family.
Love you sharing about your brother and Micah. How precious!
I followed w/ you (by twitter) as you were delayed over and over in the airport.
YOU inspire me!
Hugs
Oh girl – so you were one of the ones sending me good vibes and helping me laugh off the delays. Thank you thank you! And seriously, if you could have seen me whining about it to my hubs, it would have been less than inspiring – I assure! ;)
i love how you cut his hair and saw your brother…. LOVE this :)
Precious. Sounds like you have a very special brother.
Thanks for sharing! I can relate so well! My 5 year old just made me cut his beautiful, blond, long, curly hair off – and there was my “baby” brother staring back at me.
I love this! I wonder who I would find under my son’s hair…probably still his daddy LOL
Oh, this is lovely. I see my older brother in my youngest child, too, so much. I have pictures of he and I, rug rats ourselves at 5 and 2, and there is my Scrappy staring out of the frame. Coarse, curly head and all.
So nice our boys have lovely uncles to resemble, inside and out!
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting today! Baie dankie!
I don’t really know what to say, this post really touched me. It is just plain beautiful, but I feel like just commenting and saying that I love it doesn’t do it justice. But, I do. I do love it…and it is beautiful.
Thank you – thank you for sharing this moment with me. Somehow they are often sweeter when shared.
So sweet! Thank you for sharing!
http://ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com/2010/07/colors-of-life.html
these are the moments…
the heart-stopping ones.
this is wonderful! i see my brother in my son and it makes my heart sing.
Lisa-Jo, that was precious! I find it amazing how every so often I’ll see a striking family resemblance in my son or daughter…just a turn of the head, or from their jawline, or in the twinkle of their eyes. God is so great to give us these beautiful glimpses and reminders of His love for us! Great post!
~Susan