sixteen

It says a lot about Stefan that all his younger siblings wanted to be part of his birthday photos.

The little ones worship him. As we watched the Olympics, they would dismiss the athletes with, “Oh, Stefan could do that. Stefan’s stronger than that guy.”

I’m stumbling over my words today but Hans assures me, “Don’t worry about bragging, mom. It’s OK to brag about Stefan.”

And so I sit here, typing, deleting and asking Ben, “How do I write about Stefan without sounding obnoxious?”

“Tell me about about it.” Ben replied, “Try having him for a younger brother. He’s good at everything and he’s so nice that you can’t hate him.”

Ben threw up his hands, “He’s just not NORMAL.”

And perhaps that’s the best description of all; he’s not normal.

I had a dozen baby photos ready to scan in for today (I’ll save those for another time) but as adorable as Stef was as an infant, he didn’t just come this way. With determination surpassing most mortals, he works tirelessly at school, music, athletics, scripture reading and, far beyond any other goal– kindness.

Quietly, he leads us all.

Happy Birthday dear boy.