The Charmer has a handful of words.
But he definitely has two favorites,
"Papa"
and
"Yiyahh!" (In English, Siah)
And yesterday when we closed the last book and he clipped those last few papers into his binder,
My Siah, he asked me,
"Mama. Can I take Jeddy outside with me?"
The gesture was so sweet, but I just didn't know what to say.
After all, The Charmer is still a wee little lad, and when exactly is it that you give your six year old the responsibility of keeping his little brother safe.
I decided to encourage his thoughtfulness and love towards his brother and told him yes... but with very specific instructions to stay close to the farmhouse, always within my sight.
Then my Siah, he got his little brother's coat on and slipped on his little brother's snow boots... all by himself. He put his own gear on and turned around long enough to say goodbye to his Mama and inform me that he was taking Jed somewhere wild and that I need only to ring the dinner bell if I needed them to return from their adventure.
He makes me smile. Often. That boy of mine has a heart that only His heavenly Father could have perfectly pieced together into something so sweet. That boys heart... it makes me giddy sometimes.
When I went outside a few minutes later, I found two brothers, doing boy things out in "the wild."
And I saw a big brother loving loud over a small brother... showing him the ropes of boyhood adventure.
Lord, I pray over these boys that you would ignite an unbreakable brotherhood between the two of them.
I pray that you would raise them up to be hard workers, servant leaders, men of confident humility.
I pray that you would break their hearts for the things that break yours.
Show me their strengths Lord and help me to affirm them with my life and with my words.
Show me their weaknesses Lord and help me to lead them always to your cross where they can find arms full of wisdom and grace.
Lord, take my boys, I relinquish them into your hands... a funny request, I know, since they never were really mine to begin with.
Use them Lord to spur one another on towards you. May they live a lifetime of sharpening one another in your truth.
Teach me to not hold on so tight that I inevitably push them away.
Thank you Lord, for brothers.
