There’s something about me that most of you probably don’t know. Over the years, I’ve had people tell me: “You have to be an only child.” Honestly, I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
For the first few years of my life, the “only one” status was no big deal. That is until my friends and classmates began to have little brothers and sisters. Wanting to have a sibling, I kept nagging to my parents about it. Looking back, I feel about that. I remember my mom telling me that I would have to share my very small room and all of my toys with him or her. My reply was always: “I don’t care.” In all fairness, I didn’t at the time. That changed when I would go to the houses of my friends that has siblings. You see, there was always a fight over toys or the sibling wanting to join in on our playtime. In my child’s mind, I thought my friends were often unjustly treated in that situation. That’s when I changed my mind about having a little brother or sister. I was glad that I didn’t have to share my stuff, my chocolate ice cream cones, and my parents with anybody else.
As I grew, that attitude changed. I watched my friends and their siblings develop a special bond. Even though they fought at times, they deeply loved each other and was there for the other. To me, that’s a beautiful relationship. So, after Tim and I got married, we decided on having more than one child. Obviously, that didn’t happen. The Lord blessed us with Sara and that was it. As for her, she and her husband Jordan have just has been blessed with a daughter:Mallory. Their son Maverick is 26 months old. The pictures with the article are of them. The first is when he met her at the hospital. The second one is when they brought Mallory home. As you can see, Maverick gave her a kiss. I see he is developing a brotherly love for her and I have no doubt she will love him as she grows.

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another,” Romans 12:10 (KJV)
God is describing the type of relationship He wants us to have with each other. Like siblings, we may fight at times, but that should never diminish the love and respect we have for each other.
As for me, I was blessed with an awesome sister-in-law: Penny. Also, each of my parents remarried, so I now have step brothers and sisters. You know, it is such an awesome experience. Best of all, nobody has asked for any of my chocolate.

Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.