Brotherly Love

"Mom, why did this have to happen to Paige?"  Jeremy asked as he was getting ready for bed last night.  Understandably, he asks this question quite a bit these days.  Below is part of a conversation he had with my husband on the way to school just a couple of weeks ago:

Jeremy: Sometimes I wonder why Paige got this.
Boyce: She's strong, God is going to use her for something big, and she'll fight.
Jeremy: I could've fought it instead.

Each time, we remind him she's not in it alone--that we're fighting this battle with her and that God already knows the date she will be well once and for all.  Still, he is just 10 years old--and trying to cope with the fact that his sister can no longer do some of the things she could just two months ago.  Playing outside.  Basic goofing around.  Chemotherapy, procedures, and the illness itself have zapped Paige's energy and physical strength.  Rather than be discouraged about what his sister can't do, Jeremy finds other ways to spend time with her.  Movies.  Rainbow Loom crafts.  Board games.  He still works in the outside, horsing around stuff--but with his friends instead of his sister.

Paige and Jeremy have always had that 'knack' for getting on each other's nerves and driving each other crazy from time to time--your typical sibling relationship. :)  In the midst of all that, there also resides a genuine love for each other that shines through when it is needed the most.  Lately, Jeremy is doing a great job of 'living it out.'  Bringing Paige a drink or snack.  Praying for her healing.  Saying "I love you" for no reason other than it's what he's feeling at the time.

This morning's commute to school found us talking yet again about how Paige would keep fighting to get better and better.  It gave me the chance to ask him a question this time:  How do we know Paige is going to beat leukemia?  His answer: Because God loves us and He can do anything.  And He can heal anyone.  Oh--and He's A-MA-ZING!  

At the age of 10, my son is having to watch his sister become physically weaker, lose her hair, and fight the battle of her life.  At the age of 10, this same young man would do anything in his power to help her feel better.  Little Brother of the Year?  No question about it--he wins, hands down!

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.  
1 John 3:18