loosing a brother...or gaining a sister

Christopher Michael Parker, my precious brother is now a married man. After pursuing Calla Young, who is also is co-worker she finally gave in ;) I can remember being at the Tap House, eating wings with him one night and saying "hey you should ask that girl you work with out on a date..." It wasn't long until they began having "movie nights" and going on dates. And after some ups, and downs, they were extremely serious, and I knew he was serious about her.

It was my birthday, November 30th, after his trip to New York to meet her family that he called to say he was going to pop the question. I was shocked, taken back...but a part of me was sad. As I hung up the phone, something heavy sunk into me. Things are about to change, my family is going to change..yet more so my brother is about to change. This sibling relationship was going to be rocked or maybe even shook. 

As more of the conversations with him progressed, and one long sushi date at RA, I began to realize how much joy she had brought him and how the Lord was truly filling the desires of his heart. His face was just beaming, I remember it as if it were last week. I felt like I should have sent him to a theme park and put him on a roller coaster to burn off all the excitement that he had built up. It was such a sweet memory that I'll remember forever. 

There are so many memories like the previous that I have of him and Calla's relationship. They are so dear to me. After they were engaged she asked me to go to the florist with her to help decide on flowers. I felt really special and acknowledged that she'd ask me! Anyway we went to lunch and it was great, as I sat on the train on the way back to the city I began to think. When I was a little girl I had ALWAYS wanted a big sister, and then as I grew older and really loved my brother and appreciated him I was completely content and didn't see a need for another sibling.

However, just in the past couple months I have been so blessed to realize what a blessing it will be to have an older sister. Calla is extremely wise and I will as though I will be benefitting highly from being under her wise council and being apart of our family. She is so fun, makes my brother extremely happy and would truly be defined as a woman of the Lord. I am so excited to continue in our relationship and continue to grow it through the years. 

Little to say, I'd define that day as gaining a sister, no longer identifying with the words 'loosing my brother.' She is a part of our team now and I'm so utterly joyed!