The Light In His Smile: Part 2 (Personal Reflections)

Did you catch Part 1 of the piece I wrote on my little brother? If not, click here before you continue reading.

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It hurts me to know that someday, someone will break Jeffrey’s heart. Someday, his life will fall apart, and he won’t know how to put it back together. Someday, I’ll pass him in the hallway between our two bedrooms and notice that the light in his smile has grown dim.

When that happens, I will remember his first day of kindergarten, and I will hug that memory around my soul. I will know that while his light may grow dim from time to time, it will never be extinguished. One day, it will come back in a beautiful, blazing fury, marked by the newfound maturity that comes from knowing great loss. His scars will remind him of what he has been through, but they will never define him. They can’t.

In my fourteen years of life, one of the most important things I have learned is that we are a broken people. We face extreme heartache and make haunting mistakes… but we are not defined by our past. Life is more than a series of meaningless events, and even the most difficult things we face can be used to make us stronger.

I believe that everyone has grand potential within them, and I trust that Jeffrey will make good use of his. Sometimes I look at him, see my younger self, and become afraid for both of us. But then I remember that no matter how hard life gets, we will always have each other.

And for now…

That’s enough.

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My brother means the world to me, and I know I would sacrifice for him if I needed to. Is there someone in your life with whom you share that kind of bond? That should be our goal as Christians, anyway, to lay down our lives for our friends. I have a longlonglong way to go, but I think I'm getting closer.

Think about it, and if you wouldn't mind sharing, I would love to hear from you!

xoxo,
Ireland


*Some details (names, etc.) have been changes for privacy purposes.