TBT - Following Jack's Footsteps

Throw Back Thursday always seems like such a fun idea when I see others post old High School pictures, etc. on Facebook.  I'm not throwin' it back that far, but I'm going to use TBT as a chance to catch up non-sequentially and guilt-free on the things I should have blogged as they happened but was far too busy to actually do so.  With this year's 11 a.m. church schedule, I will be spending a few minutes each Sabbath on my corner of Family History: in recording our family's story one tidbit at a time.  So here is the first installment of TBT.  Coming up next week?  The 2013 Fife Grandkids Gingerbread House Competition Winner!  

In 2001 when I met Kirk, Jack was 7.  The day after Kirk and I got married, Jack got baptized in my parents' swimming pool.  Kirk was around to see Jack get the Aaronic Priesthood.  Kirk was around to wonder (with the whole family) whether Jack would ever be taller than his short sisters.  Kirk was there when, just before Jack turned 16, he finally surpassed my 5'3".  Kirk was there when Jack graduated from high school, when we sent him off to Indiana to attend Rose Hulman, and when Jack went through the temple.  With the notable exceptions of Jack's first day of Kindergarten and the milestones of babyhood, Kirk has pretty much had a front row seat to the whole Jack show.

Which is fun, because as I have a tendency to compare my boys to my little brother, I have someone who can knowingly agree or disagree.

One fun comparison is size.  As I mentioned, Jack was not exactly tall.  Sometime in his early teen years, he finally grew a bit and rid his dresser drawers of items that no longer fit.  He called me to see if I might want these items as hand-me-downs, even though at the time Adam was probably at most 2 or 3 years old.  Luckily, boys styles don't change that much, and I figured the pajamas, flip flops, and track suits would work just great someday when Adam finally grew into them.

Well, at 8 years old, Adam grew into the smallest of the clothes Jack abandoned as a young teen.

Adam LOVES to wear Uncle Jack's old clothes, especially since Jack is currently serving an LDS mission in Bolivia.  

And as Adam follows in Jack's footsteps in silly little things like pajamas, I can't help but hope Adam will follow his Uncle's example in other ways.

I hope Adam will value education and work hard in school.

I hope Adam will take future leadership opportunities in Young Men's seriously and serve the Lord willingly.

I hope Adam will not take himself too seriously and will have the laid-back kind of confidence Jack has always had.

I hope Adam will be there for his friends and surround himself with people from diverse backgrounds but with common values.

I hope Adam will choose to serve a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I hope Adam will continue to be an example to his younger brothers and cousins the way Jack was an example to him.

It starts with an old pair of pajamas; who knows where Jack's example will lead.