Oh, Brother

I don't even know how to put into words how happy it makes me to watch my boys' bond grow stronger.
It is one of my first prayers that my boys grow close and stay close.

Growing up, I remember very specifically being taught that family loyalty is expected.  That there are certain lines you don't cross when it comes to family/siblings.  No bad talking each other to those outside of the family (normal venting, not included).  No saying we hated each other.  No hitting.  I realize that, with boys, the latter may not apply.  I think boys probably need to duke it out physically and can handle that in a different way than girls can.  (I don't care if that sounds sexist.)
This is not to say that Shelby and I got along al the time.  In fact, we rarely did.  We fought as young kids like you wouldn't believe.  We fought as teenagers like you wouldn't believe.  Just ask anyone who knew us.
BUT, because we were taught, very deliberately, to love and respect each other, even when we didn't even remotely like each other, we always had a tight bond deep down.  We knew that we could say whatever awful thing or the other to each other, but, as soon as someone else said it, it was game on.

Shelby is a huge part of my life as an adult.  We talk almost daily and I can't imagine it any other way.  This didn't happen by luck or by accident.   It was instilled in us that we value each other, even when we didn't want to or really feel it.  We didn't probably really feel it until we didn't live together anymore.

I want this for my boys because I know that we all need an ally in this world and there is no one better than someone who was raised right along side you to understand you and stand by you for your whole life.  We all need someone to love us when we are utterly unlovable.  To set us straight when we're in the wrong.  And to join us in crazy town when we just need some company there.


God, please help us foster a close relationship in our boys.