Life Blessings and Answered Prayers

I'm not usually one to spout off religious ideals, but I truly do believe that God works in mysterious ways and answers all your prayers, albeit not always in the way you envision them. I say this because one of my answered prayers turns 30 this week, and I often think fondly of how this blessing came into my life.

When I was two-years-old, God and my parents thought it wise to deem me with the gift of a brother. And oh, how I loved my new little baby "doll". My mother loves to tell me the story of how I would hold him and scream "Mine! My doll!" whenever they tried to take him away from me. (Two-year-old behavior never changes.)

But then that baby doll grew bigger... and started walking. And grabbing. And putting his hands on my things. The novelty of big sisterhood quickly wore off, replaced by the I-got-here-first-now-can-we-please-send-this-kid-back-to-the-hospital syndrome.

Around this time, my parents and grandmother started teaching me to pray like the goodie-two-shoes Catholic girl I was. They told me God answers all our prayers, because "nothing is impossible in the eyes of the Lord". So I prayed. Really hard. I asked God to please, please, please replace my brother with a baby sister. Girls were so much better than boys, and they didn't have cooties.

Needless to say, God was not amused. Or maybe He was, and just spent hours chuckling at my silly little girl desires. To this day I have visions of angels and saints listening to my prayers and snickering at my foolishness. But this was serious business to a five-year-old. It took me a long time to get over the fact that my brother was non-returnable. My faith was shaken, my heart crushed.

Now lest you think I don't love my brother, let me assure you that I do. Our 30-year-plus relationship has wavered between periods of extreme closeness and screaming sibling frustration. Only we know what it was like to grow up with our parents in that house during that time. And despite the current two-thousand-mile distance and the fact that we share virtually nothing in common, we support and love each other in the best ways we know how.

So you can imagine my delight when my brother introduced us to the girl he wanted to marry. He seemed so grown up then, so mature, so different from the little boy I had grown up with. It was as if he had found the missing piece in his life journey.

Ten years later, I strongly feel that Bert is the man he is today in large part because of Lauren. My brother is an amazing husband and father, and it's obvious to all of us how much he loves his wife. We love her too. It's Lauren who remembers the birthdays and the big events in life. And it's Lauren who keeps in touch with all of us. She is kind and generous and thoughtful and sweet, and she has this amazing ability to put everyone at ease. Her smiles and laughter light up an entire room. It is virtually impossible for me to talk to Lauren and not try to make her laugh. Doing so totally makes my day.

Lauren is the younger sister I never had. The one I call to talk about practically anything. Because of Lauren I now know what it's like to giggle over silly family quirks and talk about life as only sisters can. Because of Lauren, my brother has three incredibly beautiful children. Lauren is an extraordinary mother, and I am in absolute awe of her ability to juggle school, home, kids, and the dog. The last time I saw her she had both my three-year-old nephew and my eight-month-old niece in her lap. She simultaneously fed them, praised her 10-year-old daughter's artwork, and played hostess with several members of our family.

If it sounds like I'm gushing, I guess I am. I'm sure Lauren has her moments like all mothers do, yet I think she doesn't give herself nearly enough credit for doing the hardest job on the planet and doing it well. Because of her devotion, her children and husband feel happy, safe, and loved. And you can't do much better than that.

So Happy Birthday, Lauren. Welcome to the big Three-Oh. I am so proud of you and what you have accomplished, and I can't wait to see what else your journey will bring. I believe God really was listening to me all those times I prayed for a little sister. Only He gave me something much better. He gave me you.