There are some people in your life that make an impact from the day they are born. That person for me is my brother. I've been wanting to write a post about my brother for a few reasons;
1) He is someone who has impacted my life choices in a large way
2) He is very inspirational and has a great story to share
3) He is my best friend
My blog is all about "My Crew" and when I speak of my crew I don't just mean my kids and my husband. But I mean all of those people who impact my life and are important to me - they are all apart of my crew. My brother, even there are days I don't like to admit it to him, is high up in my crew.
Today is my brother's birthday so I thought what better way to say Happy Birthday than to share a bit about him. So let's start with some background.
Growing up my brother was a pain in the ass! It wasn't easy being his sister someday's but I wouldn't have changed any of it for the world. My brother from a very young age experienced a lot of health problems which led him to have over 17 surgeries throughout his childhood and spend countless days either sick at home or in the hospital. It wasn't easy growing up with a sibling who was sick; he couldn't play with me like I wanted him to, we had to spend a lot of time at the hospital, my mom devoted a lot of her attention to him (and me too!) and I always worried about him. But with the struggles, this experience brought our family closer than no other. We have an unbreakable bond because of the experiences we've been through that I am forever grateful for. If it wasn't for these experiences at the hospital I probably never would have pursued a career as a Child Life Specialist and be where I am today.
It was through Taylor's experiences with being sick that I truly saw what a strong person he is. For someone who was always sick, he had a smile on his face no matter what and still does to this day. He always puts other's before himself and is the definition of a philanthropist. He gives back whenever he can and truly cares about those around him. Even though my brother is 7 years younger than me, I've always looked up to him. He's always reminded me to let go of the small stuff as there is so much more to life. To take advantage of every moment that you have and live life to the fullest. Whenever I am having a shitty day or week, I know I can count on him to get me out of my funk and my ass back in line.
I am so grateful that my kids get to call him a friend, an uncle and their godfather. While him and Lily are always at each other's throats I know she loves him more than anything. It is funny to see because it's probably exactly how me and him were when we were that age. It is so cute when Lily yells for her "Uncle Tay-er" to play Spiderman with her or that she wants to play basketball! And for some odd reason, Mason is already obsessed with his Uncle Taylor. He follows him around whenever he is with him and always wants cuddles. One day, when my kid are old enough I will sit them down and tell them how truly amazing their Uncle is and how lucky they are to have him in their life. I hope that they will look up to him just as I still do.
Taylor - I hope that you have a great birthday because you really deserve it. Today, enjoy your day! Treat yourself and put yourself before others. Thank you for being such a big part of mine and my kids lives. Ohh and please don't let this go to your head too much - we are already loosing oxygen when you are in the room! LOVE YA xo
