A Letter To My Nephew

February 10, 2009

Dear Evan,

What a wonderful weekend! It was so good to see you and your parents the past few days. Evan, you are so much fun. You have the ability to capture the attention and hearts of anyone who shares a room with you. Do you know that? When you laugh, the room laughs. When you smile, we can't help but smile back at you. And when you hurt, there is nothing we want more than to make you feel better.

One of my favorite memories from this weekend was watching my brother (your daddy) play with you. Hold you. Love you. Neither he nor I were raised around small children so we both tend to freeze up when we're around little babies. But to see him with you is a breathe of fresh air. There is so much love in his heart that it has taken up residence in his eyes and in his smile. Your dad is so proud of you, Evan. When he introduced us to your mom several years ago our family knew we'd never seen him so happy. You have managed to make his smile even bigger.

I can't wait for you to get to know your grandparents. They are incredible people and they have so much to teach you. Get ready, Grandpa B will tell you about science discoveries that are out of this world (literally). And Gramsie will play with your hair until you fall asleep. You'll know when she gets tired--she'll stay on the same spot for far too long. Just bump her arm and she'll wake up. :)

I'm sorry you didn't get to see Uncle Mike this weekend. He loves you too and missed you so much. He asked about you each time we talked on the phone. Did you know your parents send us pictures of you every single week? We enjoy looking at them together.

You are so loved, Evan. After spending a few days with you I was given a glimpse of how much your parents love you, how much my parents love me, and how much God loves all of us. Looking in your eyes left no doubt that there is a God and he is so, so great. Your parents will teach you this as you grow older and I hope you hold fast to the Word. Every single one of us will let you down, but He will not.

Tomorrow your dad turns 30. And your mom turns 30 next month! I have a feeling I know who will be their favorite present.

One day I will be writing a letter like this to my own child (your cousin)! I pray that the two of you will be friends and can play together while your parents talk about "boring stuff" in the kitchen.

The next time I see you will be end of July--almost 6 months! I can't wait to pick you up and look into those beautiful eyes.

You've stolen my heart, little man. I love you.
Aunt Merdi