You can just call me Aunt Sister
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, January 24, 2006
I had the most amazing experience on Saturday.
I stood behind a doctor in Atlanta, Ga., and watched as my nephew came into the world – screaming the minute he met fresh air.
He was tiny, and I watched the doctor, with deft hands, cut his cord and hand him over to a waiting nurse.
11:06, the nurse said.
With gaping mouth and tear-stained cheeks, I saw the nurse washing him off.
I watched my little brother break away from his wife … &8220;It&8217;s OK. Go ahead,&8221; she told him.
He walked over to the baby who knew immediately that this was his daddy.
&8220;Hey, little buddy,&8221; Chris said, with tears streaming down his face. He touched the baby&8217;s hand and then, the baby, as if he knew how to all along, reached out and wrapped his tiny fingers around Chris&8217;s larger one.
All I could do was stare. I couldn&8217;t even speak. I was holding the camera, so every once in a while, I gestured to someone to get closer or smile, or whatever. But I could not speak.
When I finally could speak, I said, &8220;Hey, little Jackson.&8221;
My little brother said, &8220;This is your Aunt Sister.&8221;
Since Chris was born, he&8217;s always called me Sister – never my name. In fact, I don&8217;t remember ever actually hearing him say my name, just Sister.
Now, I&8217;m Aunt Sister.
Or Aunt Candy or Aunt Candace. It doesn&8217;t matter.
Whatever he wants to call me, I know that this is going to be the greatest role I can ever imagine playing.
Little Jackson Allen Parker, now only 4 days old, has his whole entire wonderful life ahead of him.
He can do and be anything he wants.
He can be a social worker like his mom, Lana. Or he can be a teacher like his daddy and granddaddy. He can love football or baseball or NASCAR (Probably not soccer. Parkers aren&8217;t big on soccer).
He will be an Auburn fan, I&8217;m sure, just like any good little boy should be.
He even has what Chris calls a &8220;strong Presidential name,&8221; so maybe he&8217;ll be President of the United States one day.
Or maybe he&8217;ll ride on the back of the garbage truck like Chris wanted to when he about 5 years old.
The possibilities are endless.
I&8217;m so excited for him. I can&8217;t wait to be a part of his bright, bright future.
So, he can call me anything he wants … Aunt Candy, Aunt Candace, Aunt Sister …