T is for Two of My Favorite People

 

I know the people I talk about most are the B-boys in my life, Brian and Billy.  And, of course, they are my world.  But there are other important people in my life too, including my terrific T-twosome, Tanya and Taylor. 

   This is one of my very favorite pictures of them ever, even though it’s now about . . . oh, I don’t know, maybe ten years old.  (I need to tell Tanya not to make my same mistakes of leaving the picture taking behind as the child grows older, and especially not to give in to the temptation to avoid getting in front of the camera herself.)

   At any rate, to set the record straight, Tanya is my sister, four years younger, though I’ve sure learned a lot from her over the years.  And Taylor is my smart, funny, and caring nephew. 

He’s a willing photo ham in this picture, just having a good time with his mom and not caring who saw.  He’s 13 now, and getting a decent photo of him is a challenge, but that’s not entirely unexpected.  I hope he outgrows that, though Billy hasn’t really.  Though at least Billy will generally look at the camera these days, even if you can’t really get a smile out of him; Taylor is still in the hiding his face stage, the little troublemaker. 

Tanya got all the domestic skills from our mom, with the cooking and the decorating and the making of Halloween costumes and such.  That entire skill set mostly passed me by.  But I like to think we were both blessed with my mom’s sense of fairness and compassion.  And I am blessed to know that I can call her up any time for any reason and she’ll lend an ear.

As for Taylor, I think he’s got an amazing future in store.  He’s bright and inquisitive and is one of those kids that could do anything he puts his mind to.  Of course, getting his mind set to it can sometimes be a challenge; I’m pretty sure his middle name is really “stubborn” and they’re just trying to keep it a secret.  But that usually goes hand in hand with smart, doesn’t it?  About my own son I often think that the downside of teaching kids to think for themselves is that then you have to live with it when they do.  I’m pretty sure Tanya is beginning to recognize the truth of that, too.

So that’s a tiny look at Tanya and Taylor, two of my very favorite people.  I’m glad that they’re my family, and even more glad that spending time with them feels like visiting with friends.  Everyone should be so lucky.

Linking up with the fine folks over at ABC Wednesday.  Do traipse on over and meet those who have teamed up to bring you a tantalizing array of themes, tropes, and treasures.