20 years...

It seems impossible that it was 20 years ago that my sister brought my nephew, Georgie into the world. I can remember that day like it was yesterday...I was the baby of the family, so I was excited and dreading his birth- at the same time.

He was the first baby I remember holding, feeding, and changing diapers on. He was the one who I got to play basketball with for hours and push around in his Cozy Coupe. He was the first child I really babysat for, and what an experience he made that! He was the first to call me Aunt Shelle...a nickname that has stuck, through each niece and nephew. These days, James calls me that, and it still makes my heart smile.

As a teenager, he came to live with my parents, and he became so much more than a nephew. He has been like a little brother to me, and more importantly, a FRIEND. When I was ready to give up on church and in reality JESUS, a few years back, it was his strong desire to be in the bus ministry that kept me going. Each week, I knew he NEEDED me to drive him to bus calling, and of course, I would go too. Before long, Jesus got a hold of me, and I realized that I had NEEDED to drive him...not the other way around. He has been my prayer partner many times. I can remember one time, specifically, his Sunday School teacher's father in law was near death. He asked me to pray for him, and we prayed, every day for close to a year for that man's salvation. I will never forget the look on his face the day his teacher gave testimony that he had been saved. He has been my home school student, and we learned together. We would sit and read the Bible together in the morning, and I was a somewhat new Christian as well. I can still hear us cracking up as we went through the names in Chronicles. "I can't say that Aunt Michelle- it sounds like a curse word!"

You're probably wondering why I'm writing a whole post about him on Gracie's blog, right? Now I get to watch through my kids eyes. He is to my Gracie and Josiah what I was to him, all those years ago, and then some. After the stroke, Gracie fluttered her eyes for the first time when I told her that George had come to see her. The doctors played it off as coincidence, but it was the very first sign that we had that our little girl was in there. It was NO coincidence, after her daddy, George is her other male hero. Now, it's Georgie that carries our kids around, teaches them about basketball, watches them when I need to make little trips. It's Georgie that I hear sing Rolled Away with them, and laughing when Gracie tries to say Jehoshaphat.

              20 years have passed so fast. Happy Birthday, George. We love you.