Little Bill called me "Ber" - his interpretation of Debra. Of course I was only called Debra when I had done something wrong that needed immediate attention; thus, you would hear one of my parents say, "DEBRA LYNN!" I suppose Little Bill heard "DEBRA LYNN" much more than he heard "SANDRA KAY" (my little sister). Little Bill called Sandy, "Dee", I would encourage you to please make note that he didn't call her "Der" (for Sandra)...she obviously did not get in as much trouble as I....anyway, I digress.
"Little Bill" isn't a baby anymore. He's 43 today. He's a husband, a daddy, an uncle, a friend...but to me...he's my baby brother. We don't call him Little Bill anymore either...now, he's Bill. All grown up.
Bill and I have laughed together, cried together, partied together, worshiped together. Late night wrestlin', endless games of backgammon, snacking on tuna fish sandwiches and Doritos, listening to the scanner and then jumping in the car to race to the nearest accident or local catastrophe were just a few of the things that knit us together. We've grown up together. Other than my sister, he's known me longer than anyone else involved in my life.
I've watched him walk through incredible pain and have seen him reach the mountain tops of joy unspeakable. I've watched him grow from a little boy racing his Big Wheel, to a man who loves Jesus and loves people. His life has been a real life Book of Job. When I think of Bill, this verse comes to mind:
When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before! (Job 42:10)I've seen him drive for miles to run a telephone cable for me...and seen him head to Haiti and Japan for a week or more to help the hurting.
God has done amazing things in his life!
He's not perfect. He has flaws. But he is MY brother. He's perfect for me. I love him so very much and am so very proud of the man he has become. These verses remind me of how Bill and I have grown up together and how God has worked in our hearts and lives as brother & sister:
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:11-13)
I know that when God knit our family together he knew exactly who we needed in this life. I am so blessed that He gave me Little Bill.
Love you Bill!!
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