The Baby

On July 29th, Fred and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary.  However, that is also the day that I realized how very much I loved my little brother.  I always knew that I loved Jeff.  Don't get me wrong.  But, let's face it, he was a pest.  He knew how to push my buttons.

May 25, 1977, I remember my Granny Bill and Papa Jack telling me that I had a baby brother.  The way I remember it is that I smiled like I was excited.  Neither one of them is here to tell a different story, so we'll just go with that.  However, I remember thinking that I really, really wanted a little sister.

Jeff was (and still is) a pretty big pest.  He knew that he could pick and pick at me until I would break.  And, then I would be the one to get in trouble.  I would say something like, "But, Mom!  Jeff, started it!"  She would look at me with such disappointment and say, "Donna, he's the baby!"  One time, he was driving me crazy.  You have no idea how crazy he was driving me.  He was mad at me about something and he was running towards me at full force.  And, I thought to myself, "If I hit him, I will get in trouble."  Folks, I'm not normally a quick thinker, but I quickly developed a plan that would take care of the situation AND keep me out of trouble, or so I thought.  I doubled up my fist and held my arm straight out in front of me.  My brother was so mad that he charged straight in to my fist.  I hit him without really hitting him.  The perfect plan.  I am here to tell you that "he ran into my fist" is not an acceptable excuse.  I still got in trouble!

When I got married, Jeff was getting ready to start his senior year of high school.  He was a short, skinny boy with a mullet and something that he called a mustache.  I loved my pesky brother a lot.  When we started taking pictures, Jeff and I posed for one and I started bawling.  I loved him so much my heart hurt.  I was excited to start my new life with Fred, but I didn't want to leave my brother.  I was so proud of his accomplishments and his heartbreaks were my heartbreaks.  I laughed when he laughed and I cried when he cried.

When he grew up and had his own family, my heart was breaking and he stepped up and helped me.  He probably didn't even realize how much he helped.  I am so glad that God gave me a little brother on May 25, 1977.