Happy Birthday, Josh!

My sweet little nephew is turning 4 today. He is the sweetest, most joyful little boy you would ever meet. He just exudes joy! Everywhere he goes, he brings joy to the people there. He is funny and kind and so-all-boy! I just love that little guy so much.

I remember when he was born – his daddy called me in the middle of the night to tell me of his arrival. I cried and cried after that phone call. Funny, I cried when I heard of his daddy’s birth (my brother) too, but that was because he wasn’t a girl. I cried when Josh was born out of sheer gratitude for his life and that the life of my sister-in-law was spared, even though she was still very sick after his delivery. I cried thinking about my brother and what he was going through during that night, joy and fear, after an exhausting number of days of waiting. By the grace of God, all was well in the end and Josh now even has a baby brother, to whom he is very sweet. When Josh says his baby brother’s name, Carter, he sounds like he has a southern drawl, “Cawww-deh” So sweet.

That boy can go from jumping like a crazy child on the trampoline and acting like a tiger  to singing a sweet song to his baby brother to talking a mile a minute about what football team is playing and who the quarterback is and what the colors are and what the team member numbers are, all in a matter of minutes. I just love every second I get to have with that kid. I am eternally jealous of the community in which they live, because they have access to Josh’s joy at a moment’s notice. I know my mother feels the same way. But we are also grateful for their community because those people are family to them and take care of them. Josh doesn’t have any grandparents or aunts or uncles living close by, but he has others who love him in our absence and we just have to load on the love when we are close to him.

Happy Birthday, Josh! We love you! (And your gift is on its way…it’ll just be a little late…your cousins have to finish their cards). :)