SIBLING LOVE
By Christy Lowman
Burke County
If you have read my past articles, you may be wondering what happened to the feral kittens and their momma we found under our building. One of the kittens ended up getting a bot fly larva in its skin. It was eating away his flesh and muscles so we had to take him to the vet to have it removed. We ended up naming him Chip. When we caught him for his emergency vet visit, one of the other kittens was out there and ran off. We must have accidentally scared him because we haven’t seen him since, unfortunately.
Hornets decided to build a nest under our building forcing the remaining kitten out from under the building, so we caught him and brought him inside to be with Chip, we named him Dell.
Their mother hung around for about a week more, she quit eating and drinking the milk we were feeding her for the most part and then disappeared. I still look for Momma and the other kitten, I hope they are both okay.
We named the two kittens we rescued Chip and Dell after the cartoon, and because Chip’s back is striped like a chipmunk. They both love laying on computers so their names also come from Chip, as in computer chip, and Dell, as in Dell computers.
Chip and Dell are a mess! They have very different personalities. Dell is very rough and tumble will eat everything in sight, and is very loving and sweet. Chip is a little shy, a dainty eater, and looks for anything and everything to get into.
They love each other so much and spend most of their time together. They are the best of friends most of the time. But occasionally they get into it and have a little fight.
Do you have a sibling? Do you get along?
I have one sibling, my brother Jeremy. He is six years younger than I. We spent most of our younger years fighting and bickering. He loved to get under my skin especially when I was dating. We were never very close. However, if anyone mistreated him, I was ready to go and beat them up. Because you do not mess with my little brother!
One August evening in 2000, Mom, Jeremy, my husband, Don, and I decided to go out to eat in Morganton when Quincey’s Steakhouse was still open. We were going to ride together but for some reason, Mom decided to drive and Jeremy rode with her. On the way back they went home ahead of us while we drove up to Walmart. Walmart was closed, so we headed home and were a few miles behind them. One mile from our home we came to stop. There was a line of traffic at a standstill due to a horrific car wreck. God let me know immediately that it was my mother and brother. Scared, worried, and regret overwhelmed me and I got sick to my stomach. I started praying to God and pleading for my family’s lives. I also begged for a second chance to get things right with my brother. I knew if I lost him, I would regret the way our relationship was. I needed a chance to better that relationship and to show him how much I did care and love him even though he drove me crazy.
God answered my prayers. Both my mother and brother survived which was nothing but a miracle. My brother stayed one night in the hospital. He was banged up and had lots of cuts from the broken windshield. My mother was flown to Baptist Hospital in Winston Salem. She had countless hours of surgeries and spent months in the hospital followed by months in a nursing home until she was well enough to come home.
I try to thank God often for my answered prayers. I also try to keep my promise to Him and have a good relationship with my brother, which I think I have. We are a lot closer and spend supper together almost every evening. He supports me in whatever adventure I am in. He is a wonderful uncle and invests time into having a relationship with my children. And if someone mistreats my brother, I still want to beat them up!
Of course, we still get under each other’s skin, that’s part of having a sibling but we make up afterward instead of letting hard feelings build up like before.
So, if you have a sibling or multiple siblings that like to drive you crazy, remember that God gave you your brother or sister for a reason. He hand-picked them to be a part of your family while you navigate this crazy life while here on earth. So, love them and cherish them and try to have the best relationship possible with them. That is how God wants it.
Dear Lord, help us see why it is important to have a good relationship with our siblings. Help each one of us grow that relationship to how you would want it to be. Thank you for the brother/sister you have blessed us with in our earthly family. In Jesus’s name, I pray, Amen.
“If anyone says,” I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20
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Christy Lowman is a Christian author and illustrator that lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband and two children. She enjoys writing and illustrating books for all ages. Some of her short stories are published with Guideposts and HCI. Christy gives all the glory to God in everything she does. A portion of every book sold from the Small Bible Character Series will be donated to battle human trafficking. If you enjoy her books, “like’ her author page on Facebook and let her know! You can buy her books at //www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AChristy+Lowman&s=relevancerank&text=Christy+Lowman&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1. You can reach her at //www.facebook.com/authorChristyLowman/
or christyssoaps@yahoo.com
You can read more Christian news from Christy here.
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