God Gave Me You

Day 10: any photo you like for any reason

Today is my sister Brandy's 30th birthday. She is the cute one on the right.

I love this photo. It reminds me of the smell of the tent and the feel of those sleeping bags. It reminds me of waking up to my mom cooking on the fire outside. It reminds me of my dad hiking us into the woods and then telling Brandy and I to get us out (to this day I credit my good sense of direction to this practice). It reminds me of a time when life was simpler - as a kid you never recognize the beauty of waking up every day and trusting that your parents are going to do what it best for you that day and you can just go about being a kid. That feeling is what makes me want to help kids who have never and may never have the luxury of feeling that because of where they were born. It is a blessing to be able to look at this picture and be reminded of a childhood well spend, intensely enjoyed, and blissfully loved.

But this picture also reminds me of the most incredible relationship I think I have, the relationship with my sister. There are a lot of things that come and go in life, but your siblings are here to stay for better or for worse. I am blessed that I have a sister who is as willing as I am to work on making our relationship be something that others envy rather than pity. It's not easy to love someone - truly love them, not love them just when it's convenient. It's not easy to stand by someone in the rough times and the good times and be as strong a supporter in one as you are in the other. I am utterly and wonderfully blessed by Brandy being that person. This morning when I woke up the radio was playing 'God Gave Me You', which I know was written about marriage, but Brandy and I both agree the first stanza and chorus works for us...

I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be
But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm goes through
And I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

So, who else could I post a photo of today other than my wonderful sister, who God gave to me for the ups and downs of life. Happy Birthday Brandy!