My Man Michael

 I've known Michael since he was 6 years old. (He turned 7 the day after I was born. :) We've been through some pretty rough times together and we've laughed a lot and we've listened to a good bit of rap and we've prayed together and Michael knows some of my secrets that no one else really knows. 

I remember when I was younger, like 12, maybe 13, and Michael called me one day on his way home from work and said, "Hey. I'm on my way home. Once I get home and get cleaned up, do you want to go on a date with me tonight?" Umm, well, heck yeah! That's a no brainer.

 Our "date" consisted of riding with the windows down, going to Wal-Mart, (where I pushed the buggy and he kept tickling me the whole time!) and eating at Chick-fil-a. Yep, that's my bro for you. It was awesome. He's awesome. He's spent an awful lot of money on me in my lifetime, because he used to drive me home from church and somehow I was always hungry. He could never say no. I always ended up with a drink and a bag of chips to keep me alive till we got home. Sometimes I would get lucky and even get a hamburger and vanilla milkshake from Checkers. 

When Michael still was still living at home and going to our church, I could go stand beside him while he talked to his friends and he would just act like it was no big deal. It was nice. I treasure my memories of time spent with Michael.

I remember the first time I ever played keyboard at the church and it was pretty bad. I wasn't very good, and I was upset with myself. Michael could tell something was up on the way home and he said, "Something wrong, Jen?" I spilled it (as usual) and waited for the sympathy. Haha, I don't know what I was thinking. He said, "You know, in Philippians 3 it says we should forget the things that lie behind and press on to what lies ahead." Yep, that's Michael for you. When you're with him, you're bound to get a sermon at some point. And I honestly love it. It's good to have that from my older brother, because it means more, because I know he loves me so much.

Michael has seen me cry a lot of tears. No lie, I used to tell him that I saved my tears for him. He would come home and I would unload. I can bare my soul to Michael. I find myself putting a guard up when I'm around the kids, because I don't want them worrying about me. But when I'm with Michael I can just totally let everything out, and be real, because he can take it. He always has some kind of wisdom to impart and knows when to just let me cry myself out and not say anything. I love that about him. He is so patient and understanding.

When Michael got married, it was tough for me. The wedding day in general was tough, but also just knowing that he wasn't going to just be my big brother anymore was hard. Things haven't really changed though. Michael and I are just as close as we were before, maybe even closer. He still knows how to make me smile, and knows how to talk to me. He still "accidentally" knocks me to the floor while giving me hugs; he still emails me and calls me. He still plays with my hair and knows how to make me feel important and wanted. He's one of the most important people in my life, and I love him a ton.

And yes, he does knock me down sometimes. :)