The Brothers are Back!

The biggest number that my three year old can wrap his mind around is 100. That number is used to describe how good his dinner tastes, how far away a destination is and this past week, how long his Uncle Nathan had been away. "Mommy, since Uncle Nathan has been away for 100 days, can we stay in our hotel to see him for 100 days?" My brother in-law had actually been away in Afghanistan for nearly a year but to Jason it was literally a third of his lifetime.

After a year of praying for his safety it was no inconvenience to put two kids in the back seat and drive down to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to see him this past weekend. Never before had I driven such a distance by myself, but God kept me awake and alert for the long journey. My husband joined us a few hours later driving his brother's car down to him. Because of conflicting military schedules the brothers hadn't seen each other in about 18 months. It has been good to see them pick up just where they left off.

Nathan and my husband Jeremy weren't always close like they are today. Their relationship started to change after we were married nearly 9 years ago. I guess because Nathan found himself in a house with six sisters and Jeremy newly married to a less than talkative wife, that the two of them decided to take a second look at each other. Before that they were two brothers almost ten years apart with little in common (or so they thought). They soon decided to stick together and it has been good to watch their relationship grow.

Little do they know what an impact they are having on our Jonathan and Jason. As my own boys fight, shout and just generally get on each other's nerves I remind that that they are brothers and they need to always take care of each other - always. As I tell them how Daddy takes care of his brother, and Nathan him, a hush comes over the disagreement and the fighting will cease for awhile.

It is good to have a part of our family within reach again.  Praise God for bringing him back to us. 

"Actions speak louder than words but not nearly as often." ~Mark Twain