Growing up in a small town didn't leave a ton of room for keeping secrets, and when you have two older brothers living in that same town, people tend to find out who you are. There's Number 1, and I call him Brad. There's Number 2, and I call him Blake. Those two guys are my brothers, and if you couldn't guess it, I'm Number 3. I usually call myself the lady's man (let me give a shout out to Mr. Mike Potts…Roll Tide!). Sorry… that was an inside joke. Back to the numbering system.
As kids, a lot of people at our church called the three of us #1, #2, and #3, instead of Brad, Blake, and Ben. The whole counting thing came from Uncle Rick. He couldn't keep our names straight with all of the Bs, so he used numbers to figure us out. He's not really mom uncle, so I'm trying to figure out why I call him Uncle Rick. I guess he's old enough to be my uncle. Shoot! He's probably old enough to be my great uncle (haha). I will give him credit, though. He is married to the ageless beauty whom I call Sis. Before I get into why we call her Sis, let me get back on track…
So there's #1… Okay one more side note… I want to be sure everyone knows that this is by birth order, not by ranking, otherwise, it may be backwards.
Anyway, Brad usually set the scene for us. He usually laid the backdrop with mountains, rivers, lakes, and trees. There was the time Brad's hair had ice crystals in it hiking up "death hill" at Cheaha State Park. Then the time we both thought the other had drowned the day we got split up kayaking down this creek at flood stage. Then there's that time we were hiking in Glacier National Park and he hiked with a near-broken ankle probably close to 30 miles in two days. Adventure found us in Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, The Smoky Mountains, Cumberland Island, Cheaha, or crawling underground in random caves of north Alabama.
Brad's heart for adventure rubbed off on me, and his leadership was such an example for me! He showed me how to follow Jesus. Don't forget all the conversations just riding in the car between Tuscaloosa and the hometown. He also taught me how to me mischievous.
Then there was #2. If you would have asked me who my best friend was in the first couple of years in college, I would have told you Blake. We had similar study habits, and some of my favorite times in college were during finals weeks. I didn't really care for the studying or the tests, but I did like our front porch at 2 a.m.
Sometimes I would make a gallon of sweet tea to hopefully give me a caffeine high for those all-nighters. Countless times I would take a break from the books and breathe some air on the front porch. Not long after I would go out there, Blake would show up. I'm not sure if he was catching his breath too or if he was just hanging out. I always felt like a welcomed third wheel with Blake and Jenna.
Both of these guys are equal in my eyes. One plus two equals three, that's me. They've had a huge part in making me who I am. For Brad, I love you. For Blake, I'll talk to you soon. Trust me, it makes sense to them.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to Blake, Daddy, and all the fathers out there!
"The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him." Proverbs 23:24
Left to right Ben, Brad, Blake…3,1,2.
