Twenty-two years ago on June 16, Mike and I walked into the hospital to have a healthy baby. We walked out of the hospital with two healthy babies.  God really knows how to give good surprises!  

It’s Ryan and Patrick’s birthday.  To give you insight into them, one of the images I can remember from their lives is this.  They were in kindergarten, and all the kids were in a long line ready to go into the school.  We pulled up and they got out. Patrick went to the end of the line, and immediately started a quiet conversation with one or two of the other boys.  Ryan, on the other hand, walked over to the side where all the kids could see him at once, extended his arms open wide, and yelled, “I’m here!!!!”  Thus the difference.

Bryan Patrick has turned into this kind of man:

He’s a student of lots of things. He does well in school. Always has. He’s a chartmaker, a planner. Lists, lists, lists of all random kinds of things. All his life. Loves history. All his life. Loves military information. All his life, literally, since he was 3 or 4. (Started with Ghostbusters – you know, fighting the paranormal. I had to fight him to take a bath without his Ghostbuster neutralizer on his back.) Has read hundreds of books on all kinds of military training, battles, wars, branches of military, uniforms, weapons. Interesting that he is a pacifist.  Likes order and uses rules to help guide him. Not constricted by rules, but does appreciate them. A hopeless romantic. Seems to attract a lot of young women, but not a “player”. Good listener. Sincere. Biggest life goal is to have a family, with a wife who knows how to truly communicate.  Would like to keep his life simple. Good money manager. Has gone through a period of time where he thought that being a friend to everyone was the way to go for him. Remembers now and realizes that isn’t “how he rolls”. Not how he is created. Many casual friendships aren’t nearly as life-sustaining as several deep friendships. That way for most people, but especially for him. Loves his family. Appreciates wise counsel and good mentors.  Best friend is his polar-opposite brother.  Passionate about things he stands for. Has consistently journaled ever since he was probably 14 or 15.  Great work ethic. Starts what he finishes. Recognizes sin. Recognizes the weight of sin. Recognizes how it can take the joy offered to him from God. Loves God. Is saved by Jesus. Recognizes how freeing it is to walk with Jesus. Bryan Patrick – loved by Jesus. Loved by his family.

Ryan Michael has turned into this kind of man:

He’s a researcher. Always questionning. At 10, wanted to know how a mortgage works. Also at 10, was looking through a Penney’s catalog and had a question about one of the products.  Called the 1-800 number to inquire, and ever since then, we get Penney’s catalogs delivered to our house with Ryan’s name on them.  They also sent him a credit card application at the same age. I had to call and ask them to kindly take my 5th grader off of their pre-approved list. He’s a people-person. Perfectly comfortable in talking to complete strangers. In fact, usually engages the conversation himself. Perfectly comfortable speaking to groups of people. God has provided him quite a few opportunities. Holds my attention, every time. Uninhibited, at times. Big ideas, and is actually making most of them happen. Goal use to be to win the jackpot. Now the goal is to win the hearts of the underpriviledged. Caretaker. Sees God in everything. Charmer. Very creative with the few dates he’s been on. Wants to meet a girl with a little bit of moxie and a lot of world vision. Gets along well with adults, and with the elderly, and with the young ‘ens. Has learned to stop and smell the roses with all relationships – now takes time to quit talking and makes time to listen. Best friend is Patrick.  He says they’ve “got each other’s backs”. Leader. Had a dream that people kept following him everywhere he went. Decided to pray that if people were going to follow him, he needed to be leading well. Found out the best way to be a leader is to be a servant. Got the idea from Jesus. Who introduced him to humility. Who loves him.  Also loved by his family.  Ryan Michael.

Similarities, you ask??

They have each other’s ears. Literally. Their ears don’t match on their own heads. They both have rounded ears on the left side, and more pointed ears on the right side.  They also don’t each have a complete set of wisdom teeth. Two for one, two for the other. They also have the exact same sense of humor. Everyone else in the room will find something mildly amusing – they will bust out at exactly the same time. Their laughs are identical, which in my opinion, is one of the best things to share. In baseball, Ryan was always the pitcher and Patrick was always the catcher – on every team for 9 years.  In football, Ryan was the quarterback and Patrick was the tight end. No one else could catch Ryan’s throws with the same accuracy that Patrick could. Good teammates.

Good lifemates. Backpacking across Alaska together this summer. Great way to spend a birthday.

Sorry so long winded. But, after all, it’s 22 years. A really good 22 years. I’m immeasurably grateful.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZD1S1aMJ_I

Love,Kim