A village...

I was able to spend a couple of weeks traveling through Texas recently. As I've written on here before I always love the chance to travel and reconnect with old friends. Again it was a great blessing. This journey I was able to see some people I have never seen in the US before. It is strange how time overseas affords you relationships that have never existed here. Great chance to reconnect now on this side of the pond.

I also had the joy of meeting some people I had never met before. Callie is almost 17 months old and cute as can be. It took us a while to buddy up. I got up for breakfast on the first day Callie and I would become friends and she was a bit hesitant. I had breakfast with her mommy and she wasn't moving too far from mom's grasp originally. After I finished breakfast though she journeyed closer. She sat on the kitchen table as I sat in the chair; our faces were only a few inches apart and she checked me out.

We started pointing out facial features. "Nose...eyes...mouth...hair...ears...ears...ears..." She was stuck on my ears for some reason. She would lean right and look at my left ear. Then she would reach out and tug on it a bit. Then she leaned left to see my right one. For about 30 minutes we went back and forth and stared at one another. She would pull my ear and then I would pull hers. She pulled the other ear and I pulled back.

Didn't take long until I was in love.

I love children. I love their joy at little things. I love their curiosity for new things. I love their committment to grabbing your attention.

Callie and I played a game together. It started when she tripped the first time. I said, "Upsy-daisy." She laughed and stood back up...and fell down again, but this time it was on purpose. We would play the game for several minutes. She fell down, usually on purpose, and I said, "upsy-daisy." Then anytime she lost my attention for a few moments to the television or another conversation, she would fall down again and work to mumble out "upsy-daisy." It was precious. She is a beautiful little girl.

She broke my heart once. On the morning I was to leave I made her cry. She wanted to play with my cell phone and I told her "no." She didn't like "no" much. She burst into tears and ran to mommy. I wanted to cry. Her parents said, "She needs to learn she doesn't always get her way." I said, "Not from me. I'm supposed to be the guy that lets her do whatever she wants and then gives her back to you guys to deal with." I wanted to be the "cool uncle."

When I spent last Friday with Jackson he was barely two days old. I was actually with him as he crossed the 48 hour mark. I showed up at the hospital Friday morning and waited until mom and baby were ready for visitors. I finally went back to the room to join mom, dad, Jackson, and one set of grandparents. I became family. I helped pack and waited on nurses and went to buy lunch. As they fitted little Jackson for his car seat I snapped pictures as grandpa had slipped out of the room. As we led Christy down towards the car I took more pictures of a beautiful new mother with a precious new baby in her arms.

We got to the car and I took the video camera from dad as I took video and pictures simultaneously - camera in one hand and video camera in the other. Mom was so clearly filled with joy. Dad was obviously amazed and anxious. Grandma was proud and excited. And I watched. I was so overjoyed, but jealously longed to feel their feelings rather than those of the outsider. But at the same time, I was no outsider.

I walked with them as they met and dated. I stood beside them as they married. I prayed with them as they journeyed to Paris and Thailand. I even visited and watched them work in Paris. I told Grandma that I had worked so hard to convince Jason and Christy to get pregnant before they married five years ago. I was leaving the country soon after and wanted so badly to see their baby before I left. Not sure she thought it was very funny. I really was joking...sort of.

And yet five years later they have Jackson. I am no father to Jackson or to Callie; I'm not even an actual uncle. They make me look forward to the day I will have my own children. But until that day, I will commit to love those children as my own. I will consider it a great honor to stand beside my friends as they begin to have children. If they will have me, I will be a part of their village, because I believe that it takes a village to raise a child.