One of our Own
My family consists of a bunch of bullies. From cousins, to my spiritual siblings, my family is full of bullies. We poke, prod and tease each other, often mercilessly laughing at each other’s expense but doing well to protect each other from hurt. It’s quite the relationship between bully and brother.
I see this relationship at its fullest when I think of my younger brothers and sisters. The term, “LGs and LBs” was foreign to me up until a few months ago when someone finally explained it to me. I have to admit at first, I had no idea what an LB or an LG was. I thought an LB was a linebacker, and an LG was…an unreliable phone company. Supposedly, it’s a condescending term for adolescents used by…those who just escaped adolescence. We used to have a word for something like that: we called them teeny boppers.
Anyways, I was talking to a sister of mine when that very term came up. She called herself an LG and I found myself defending her even against herself. We laughed that situation off mostly but I know that I jumped to her defense because I love her.
It’s easy to look at someone and jump to a quick judgment. But when you stop, listen and try to understand, the “LG” has a name. That LB becomes a person to pray for. Those teeny boppers, however annoying their preferences are, become more than just their reputation.
They become little brothers and sisters, kids worth teasing, and definitively, worth protecting.
