Somebody's 30!!

I refuse to feel old while writing this post.

At his wedding. You know, in case the
white dress & tux didn't tip you off.

Yes, my sweet little brother is 30 today. Yikes, that is just obscene. My earliest memory is of us bringing him home from the hospital: I was 2 1/2, and a bird got in the house while my dad got my mum & Billy in, and then the suitcases (I was old enough to get up the steps myself). And of course, the bird went straight to Billy's room, where it flew around in circles. I remember watching my dad trying to get it out, and I've been told that I was encouraging him not to hurt the birdie.

So, that was the beginning of life with Billy. It's gone uphill since then. :)

I will begin by saying that my brother was the cutest baby in the nursery when he was born. In fact, he's probably still the cutest baby I've ever seen, and I would scan some baby pics & post them, if our scanner weren't so irritating to use. I think it was the look of panic that was always on his face that I find so endearing; he had wisdom well beyond his couple of days to know that life was best approached in a semi-panicked state.

There was something more interesting than me to look at.

He's still pretty cute, actually, even though it grosses me out when his wife posts on FB about how hot he is. I mean, he might be, but he's my brother, so-- eewww! Don't want to hear that!

Looks aside, my brother is a great guy. He's very kind, he's thoughtful, and he wants to do what he can to make the universe a better place for everyone. He has a serious amount of dedication to the kids' program at church, too-- he & Jennie give more time to Lads to Leaders than I've ever given to Bible bowl. (It helps that they have kids in the program, of course, but... wow.)

This is what Billy looks like when he's swinging toward me
on a rope. I took the pic & got out of the way in a hurry.

Sometimes I feel guilty for making so much fun of him when we were kids, although as I understand it, that's what siblings do. It's not like he's never made fun of me, after all.

Case in point: He was far more successful than I at this whole rope swing thing. I fell off. He did not. There was laughter.

Anyway, my life has been blessed with the addition of my brother; the past 30 years would have been dull indeed without him.

Actually, I'm kind of gobsmacked that he is 30 at all-- when I moved away for college, he was 15 & Denise was 13, and in my head I've had them in a sort of suspended animation ever since. The fact that I was present for his graduation and his wedding have not done a lot to convince me that this brother of mine is a grown-up.

Dad, Billy, Mum, Denise. I was holding the other end of the
tablecloth, but let go to take a picture. Yep, it took five
adults to work out how to operate one tablecloth.

When our grandpa died a few years ago, Billy was devastated, probably more so than any of the rest of us (apart from Grandma, obviously). Grandpa was his best friend and his role model, and since then Billy has had to navigate life without the guidance of the man who did the most toward shaping him into the person he is today. But I know, without a doubt, that Grandpa is watching. And I also have no doubt that Billy makes Grandpa proud every day-- just as he does the rest of us. He is a credit to our family.

Happy birthday, Billy! I really wish I could be there to celebrate with you.