A Day In The Life of Dakota

I'm sitting here just eye balling Dakota (my little brother). I love his laugh! He's watching Spongebob on TV right now and he's just cracking up. I wonder, sometimes, what goes on in his mind. What his dreams REALLY are. What he thinks about throughout the day. Just what's going on in that mind of his. He changes his occupation goals everyday. One day he'll want to be a firefighter, then a doctor, then a math teacher, then a Kung Fu Fighter, then a mad scientist, then a superhero, the list goes on. Right now, he's set on 3 things: 1.) a "dinosaur bone digger" as he calls it (an Archaeologist), 2.) Indiana Jones...he wants to be just like Indiana Jones and go on adventurous quests, and 3.) a spy. He's SO amazing. God has truly blessed me with THE most amazing "big brother" I could've ever ask for. I say "big brother" because when Dakota was about 5 years old, he told me, "Mariah, when I'm taller than you, you'll become my little sister," and so I simply agreed with him. And look at him now, he's 9 years old, full of energy, TALLER THAN ME, and just an all around BOY! Dakota's always been the little runt, but "just shot up like a week" as my grandfather says it. He's the reason why I wake up EVERY morning with a smile on my face with no regrets.

Dakota is the miracle baby in the family. He passed away twice when he was born. I will NEVER forget the moment when my daddy came out and told us that Dakota wasn't doing so well. Dakota had the umbilical cord wrapped around his throat and stopped breathing. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to see him. I remember I went into the Special Care and I held his little fingers and sang to him. I sang him the song my mom always sang to me when I was scared. "Que Sera Sera". I remember singing him that and he didn't take his eyes off me. I remember the 5 long and tiring days my family and I would spend going up to the hospital to see Dakota and staying strong for him. Dakota put up some fight, and I thank God that He made Dakota strong enough to prove all the doctors wrong and get better.

I've always believed that Dakota sees angels or something! I remember over the summer, Dakota and I were playing soccer, and I kicked him the ball...and he just stopped. He just looked up in mid air and just had the BIGGEST smile on his face. I tried getting his attention about 3 times, but he was just mesmerized by something. And then just kept on playing soccer. When he was a baby, I'd always go in his room because he'd wake me up from laughing so much in the middle of the night. I'd go in there and he'd be just a laughing and reaching for something. I remember 2 summers ago, Dakota and I would always get our quilt, make sandwiches and sweet tea, and go outside in our field and have a picnic. At night, we'd go out there and look at the stars. While we were out there looking at the stars one day, he asked me, "Mariah? Who's Jesus?" I told him that Jesus was a man who died on a cross for our sins; and when you die, you get to be with him in Heaven. He said, "Oh....well I've already met him." I just played along and said, "You have?" and he said, "Yeah, when I was a LITTLE tiny baby, he came with me." And I said, "Really? Where'd yall go?" and he said, "I don't know...EVERYWHERE!"...I couldn't say anything! We've never told him that he passed away when he was a baby before, or that he had complications when he was born....but I believe in my heart he DID get to meet Jesus. To hear that come out of 7 year old's mouth (he was 7 at the time), is just...AMAZING!

I love Dakota with all of my heart. He's my best friend and always will be no matter how many fights we get into, no matter how aggravating he will get, no matter how many times I have to tell him to get out of my room, no matter how loud he gets...NO MATTER WHAT! No one can get in between him and me. This little boy right here has my heart and always will. I have NO idea what I'm going to do without this funny, loving, sweet, adorable, little boy everyday when I go off to college in the fall. I won't be the same.

I thank God EVERY single day that He made Dakota my little brother. I thank Him that He let me have the opportunity to be a part of Dakota's life. I thank Him that He let Dakota change my life. I thank Him for letting me seeing a whole different side of life through Dakota. I thank God for just letting Dakota be a part of my life, and a huge part for that matter. Dakota can make me laugh when NO ONE else can. I definitely would NOT be the same person without him. I pray that Dakota gets everything he deserves out of life. I pray that God will let Dakota know that he is loved by SO many people, and that one day, he will change SO many lives just by being himself. I pray that God will always let him be the fun-loving, funny, and sweet little boy he's always been. I pray that God will put Dakota on a path that is his own. I pray that Dakota will follow his dreams and not let ANYONE tell him who to be or what to be. And I pray that Dakota will stay strong throughout the rest of his life just like he's always been. I love you, Dakota. Follow your dreams and NEVER EVER change for anyone!

Dakota wants to go outside and make pictures in the cloud now, so I'm going to go follow in his journey/quest.