Philip was born five and a half years after me, and I was completely thrilled at having a little brother, even if he wasn’t named Jehu as we speculated. As a kid, he could quote rhymes and stories and songs like nobody else, possibly as a result of having six doting older siblings to read to him. His great memory hasn’t failed with his old age, and he still can quote verbatim more than pretty much anyone I know. He’s quirky, he’s…
PC to Micah We used to say that we couldn’t have two of our siblings marry siblings, but Micah decided otherwise when he picked Michael’s sister. And now, we aren’t even sorry. Merry is a homemaker to the core, as is evidenced by her careful guidance of her children, her lovely little home, and the abundance of pies seemingly always in her fridge. She can make anything she touches beautiful, and her artistic sewing capabilities are in high demand. Even…
Micah has the kind of personality that you can’t help but love. He is unabashed and charming and spontaneous. His thirst for adventure means he is constantly dashing around the world with his little family, creating awesome memories for his kids. His enthusiasm for life and free spiritedness are contagious. He is an exceedingly helpful person- the kind of big brother every girl needs. Basically, having a Micah is like having a personal mechanic to ease all my auto worries….
Raphael was on a Bible project team, many moons ago, and stayed at our house in Erandique on and off for several months. He would sit in the kitchen and discuss things with us, and my conversation-starved family quickly grew to love him. When we returned to the States, we became even better friends, since he and Micah hung out a lot and since he lived an hour away he spent a lot of nights at our house. So we…
Rosie is my go-to person. She’s the one to whom I can send my self-deprecating texts, my purposely awful snapchats, and my whining about feeling like a drugged cow or whatever, and she’s sure to have the right response. She is honest and straightforward, she’s smart and hilarious, she really ought to run a restaurant and write a book, and her skills with kids make the competition tough for favorite-aunt-award. If you want to feel completely at ease with whatever…
Melissa and I were friends long before she became part of our family, although not so long before she wished to be part of our family. 🙂 I remember pouring out my little eleven-year-old troubles to her, and she kindly listened and gave me advice and love and never made me feel small or too young, despite the fact that I was a mere infant in comparison to her nineteen-year-old self. Later, when we both lived in Honduras, she spent…
I don’t know how he does it. That’s basically what comes to mind when I think of Daniel. Between a full time job, school, raising four children, and serving at church, I’d think his brain cells would be about to explode. But he has put his inborn determination to good use, and is doing really cool things with his life as a result. He’s one of my favorite people to make music with, because with just a glance, we can…
Although it was hard to let Michael steal away the first of my sisters, I’m pretty glad he has done so now. His corny sense of humor works perfectly with Rhoda’s personality which is naturally a bit more serious, and he’s passed his humor on to his kids too. He is the best at dressing up, as is shown in the picture above, his meat smoking skills are fantastic, and his energy amazes me. He is not only funny, but…
Rhoda is one of those people with all kinds of hidden talents that she thinks she doesn’t have. She talks about not being crafty, and proceeds to out-Pinterest the best of us. She says cooking is not her favorite, but if you’re at her house, she’ll almost certainly offer you some delicious tidbit she has on hand. She is intentional about creating a solid childhood for her three kiddos, providing them with lots of books and chickens, and time to…
Mimi was brave to enter our big and loud family, coming from her own small family of a very different culture. She has put up with us and our quirks exceedingly well, so well that our family would now feel quite incomplete without her. We love how her kitchen skills have expanded our culinary tastes. Ten-year-old me never dreamed I’d have such a fondness for steamed greens and fried tofu someday. Dinner visits to her house are a treat, and…
I think it’s a common thing for little girls to adore their biggest brothers, but in my case, I had good reason to, and still do. Roman is one of the kindest people I know. He doesn’t speak ill of people, and will go out of his way to help someone that needs it. He’s hospitable, gentle, cultured, manages to carry a teenage schedule despite leaving the teenage years far behind, and have I mentioned he’s awfully smart?…
I loved hearing my Dad’s stories when I was little, because he could make an everyday matter into a thrilling adventure with his choice descriptions. And now, I love seeing my nieces and nephews listen with the same rapt attention as he regales them with tales of the escapees from the asylum they lived by, and how his finger was cut off, and Mickey and the rat. Instead of staying in our small Mennonite world, my Dad moved our family…