The love that changed my life

One year ago today..

I fell in love in the most unexpected way.

No, it wasn’t some dreamy guy that said all the right things. Or some exotic place that I have been itching to adventure to (Hawaii, please!). It was a whole different spectrum of dreamy and adventurous. It was a love that so many people all over the world experience, but one that was new to me. God knew that I needed this love at this time. Something real and something constant.

One year ago today…

My sweet nephew Gil was born!

I remember a conversation over the phone with my sister-in-law a few days before Gil was born. I can’t recall the expected due date (sometime in late February), but I remember her saying she had a feeling he was going to be late. Late–that word hung in my head and I didn’t like it. However, who else would have a better instinct than her? I accepted the “late idea” and let other thoughts fill my head.

BUT, that didn’t last long, because three days after that phone call my brother sent out a mass text saying they were heading to the hospital.

It totally did not help that the text was in the middle of the night. The idea of sleep was gone. I kid you not–I DID NOT sleep at all that night. I laid in my bed–delusional and anxious. Also, a tad bit jealous of my mom who left the house soon after hearing and headed to Atlanta.

The next morning at work I checked my phone constantly,

“Is he here?”

“How is Meredith?”

“Is everything okay?”

Waiting….waiting…praying..praying…

And then finally, many hours later, he was born!

Since then, my heart has danced with a different song. When my days are long and hard, I start watching videos my brother has sent me of him. Sometimes I’ll show other people and they laugh or smile with me, but their smile is hazy and vague, while mine is radiant and overflowing–it’s my sense of pride! This little human blows me away with his rapid growth and I can’t believe I get to watch his life unfold!

Gil has given me a new identity–I am now not only a daughter, sister, and friend. I am now also an aunt. It’s new, but it’s going to follow me all the days of my life. I get to be his mentor and friend. The one he might call when he needs a word of advice different from his parents. The one he will come visit in the summer. The one who will always be there.

Sometimes I have to take a double take when I watch my brother with Gil. The brother who used to pick on me for my gap teeth is now a strong father pouring his heart into his kid! It’s another reminder that our greatest experiences on this Earth are tied to our families—that thought comforts me in this dog-eat-dog world.

I am elated to watch my nephew grow. To watch him learn to walk, talk and develop his unique personality. I pray he seeks God, has amazing adventures, and never forgets his value. If I love this little human so much, I can only imagine the love I will one day have for my own child.

iPhone photo reel: