Thoughtful Thursday — A monkey's uncle

So we took a little unplanned trip back to Kansas last week and I’m complete off my “schedule” of blogging. Here is my attempt to get caught back up. Today is thoughtful Thursday and I’ll tell you how I was and continue to be blessed by my brother.

Luke and I are 14 months apart. (I’m older, but much shorter). I’m sure that when we were little that must have been really tough on my mom, but it was really great for us. We did lots of stuff together and were great friends.
Luke is a great husband and father to 2 beautiful girls! And I mean beautiful! (His wife, Jenna is also beautiful!).

Luke is a fantastic uncle to my boys. He is a hunter, fisher and general outdoorsman and has made many efforts to give my kiddos some great experiences. About a year ago he helped set them up with bows and a target in our backyard. The boys love the time they have to shoot out there. This last week we were in Kansas and the boys could hardly wait to get to Luke’s house to shoot with him. The bows and arrows were carefully and thoughtfully packed in the trailer and were some of the first things to be unloaded. Luke took time to spend with them outside and especially with Gabe. I have yet to get on the phone with the boys and not hear them talk about spending time with Luke. It makes my heart happy to hear them chatter about what he taught them or how well they could shoot the target or arrows or whatever. Lately I’ve been hearing about how excited they are to hunt bullfrogs in July. (apparently there is a bullfrog season…who knew?)

A few weeks ago Otto shot a lizard in our backyard. He wasn’t trying to be mean, but he had his BB gun and his manly hunter instincts took over and he shot it. He was so excited. And then he thought about it and felt bad for the lizard. He was worried about whether it was going to help other lizard friends or if it had a family etc. I was trying to do my best to comfort him and be a good mommy, but I had no idea what to say to make him feel better. I was approaching it from the angle that God gives life and that we have the ability to take it away, and that this was perhaps a good learning opportunity about the blah blah blah…it didn’t help and to be honest it wasn’t making a whole lot of sense. So I called Luke. Luke told Otto that sneaking up on a lizard  takes a lot of skill and it’s a feat that most hunters can’t achieve. It’s something I’ve never done, he said, and you should be proud of yourself for doing something most other people couldn’t.

While that it was certainly a different approach, it was exactly what my son needed to hear. He asked Luke later if he ever felt bad for the animals he shot and they had a very good conversation about hunting and it’s purpose etc. I appreciate that about my brother. He always seems to have the right words, sometimes a little unconventional, but a good grasp on the world around him.

So this week, I was blessed by my brother. He doesn’t know it and will probably be a little irritated that I blogged about him. But it’s true. I feel honored that he takes an interest in my children. They feel special because he takes time with them. He makes them feel important and that blesses me.