My Favorite Soldier

This is my nephew Joe, my brother Jody's son. He just shipped off to basic training last week. I can't believe that he's already old enough for the military. I'm proud and sad at the same time. He's always had a special place in my heart, partly because he was my first nephew and partly because I always felt we had a lot in common. I met Joe when I was 20 and he was 4. The first time I saw him in person was at my younger brother Jeremy's high school graduation. I was really intimidated to be around a lot of biological relatives I didn't know very well, as I had just met them when I turned 20. (I'm adopted) They all knew each other but I didn't know them at all. To add to my confusion, I was there with my parents (the ones I grew up with) and I had no idea how a kid was supposed to react with two sets of parents. About this time comes an adorable little four year old boy that hardly knew anyone there either, since he grew up in Florida with his mom and sister. We bonded almost immediately. He loved the fact that an adult was taking an interest in him and I loved the fact that I had an ally in a world I knew no one. He's always been an awesome kid and now he's turning into an awesome man. Sigh........ Love you, Joe!!!