To be an uncle

I am an uncle once again, now to both a wonderful boy named Braden and a darling girl named Alexa. Nearly three years ago Braden entered my world and changed it dramatically; a jaded and self-centered twenty-something who was more than slightly repulsed at the thought of having children, my heart opened and it never closed.

I spent most of the weekend watching the little boy I have come to consider as one of the great lights in my life. This morning I surprised him; having gone to bed with his parents still home he awoke, I was the only presence besides the dogs in his home. He surprised me with an ear-to-ear grin, he was excited to see me and we spent all of the morning together. He helped me make coffee, laying on the floor with me so we could watch it drip into the pot. We played hockey for hours, watched television and he told me stories as we laughed over silly jokes.

I watched him hold his little sister for the first time and I saw in his eyes the same love that washed over me the first time I held him. He adored her and the sight of two children whose veins were filled with many of the same nucleotides as my own made my insides tap dance.

I held her myself more than once and I remembered how small we are; she may be tiny in size compared to me but we are all small in stature when compared to all that which exists above and below us. Young beings still waking up to a vast world.

There is so much life ahead of them, so many books to read, so many songs to hear and sing, so much love to give. There will be bad times too, but they will be part of life and remind them of the fragility in the human soul just as pregnancy reminds us of the awesome brawn inside the human spirit.
I am so happy right now, filled with love and joy and a renewed commitment to the preservation and ascension of life. Thrilled to watch them grow and explore, thrilled to have my own one day, hopefully soon.