brotherly love

i have 3 brothers - one older and two younger - and i love them!! i am grateful for the relationship that i have with each of them. that being said, this post is about one of my younger brothers, robert.

rob came to visit us in cranbrook last weekend. we were sad that andrew wasn't able to come too as he was working. we had a really fun time with rob - skiing and just hanging out. for whatever reason, burton has a special bond with rob. burton thinks rob is the coolest ever. anything rob does, burton wants to do too. they wrestle and play together. burton likes to talk to rob on the phone just to say hi and ask him how he is doing. burton loves rob.

the night before rob came to our house, i was tucking the boys in and helping them say their bed time prayers. because rob and andrew will be turning 19 soon, we have been talking a lot in our family about them getting ready to serve missions. burton thinks this is very cool and prayed in his prayers that night, thanking Heavenly Father that rob and andrew can be missionaries. after he was finished, i made the comment that we would have to make sure we send rob and andrew lots of letters when they are on their missions. burton looked at me, puzzled, and asked why we would have to send lots. i said because they will be gone for two years and we won't be able to see them when they are gone; we will have to write them letters and send pictures and stuff like that. burton's face fell and his eyes filled with tears as he realized what it was that i was saying - that he won't be able to see rob for the two years he is on his mission. burton looked at me with his sad eyes, soundlessly crying, and said, "i thought it was only two weeks."

poor burton!

needless to say, i changed the subject by saying that we didn't need to worry about it for a while as andrew and rob don't turn 19 for several months. we haven't really talked about the 2 year absence since then but, burton has still been praying for rob and andrew, the future missionaries. what a sweet boy!

as much as we will MISS MISS MISS rob and andrew, i pray that they will choose to serve missions. i LOVE LOVE LOVE them and know that they can be such powerful tools in the hands of the Lord if they dedicate themselves to His service. i will love them always, regardless of what choices they make in life - i just hope they do choose to serve missions. they will learn and grow in ways that they otherwise might not. as a sister who loves them so very much, i want to see them grow and strengthen their testimonies of the gospel as living the gospel and serving the Lord is where true happiness lies.

i love you rob and andrew!!!