my favorite (little) man

erich douglas. he was the first of many little people added to the lage clan (after me, of course). and still to this day, i get excited to see him. this is my nephew. the first grandchild to my parents. his mommy is my middle sister. i have learned from her things that will be invaluable to me when i have children. first thing, stay consistant. love consistantly and discipline consistantly. she was determined to produce an upstanding man. one with boundaries and sensitivity and respect for other people. and he is quite possibly the most hilarious small person (not so small anymore) that i know. i know all kids say funny things. but he says smart things. and insightful things. and he can actually carry on an intelligent conversation, thanks to growing up around all adults (poor kid, his sick sense of humor is all our faults).

he will be seven in march. and when i think about that it freaks me out and makes me feel old. but then i remember that i am not, and everything is ok. but i'm lucky. i'm lucky to have met him when i was young and to have gotten to enjoy him all this time. literally, he has made our family what it is. just when it would have been tempting for all of us to go our own ways, we were sucked in by his forcefield of enchantment. i tried to move away to california and i was unsuccesful because when my mom would send me pictures of him i would cry the hard cry that is silent and painful. and then i knew. no amount of sunshine and rock-climbing was going to cure me of this sickness.

so i was ruined by this boy. and i am thankful for it. he helped me to know before it was too late what was most valuable. one of the things i love about him is that he laughs really hard at spongebob squarepants...he laughs at the smart jokes. he's also sensitive and emotional and makes extraordinarily interesting art. i miss his chubby little body and his sweet coo but i have thought about him growing up into a young man and it gives me goosebumps. he is a great boy and he will be a great man. that i am sure of. he literally lights up my life. i adore him.