Gospel According to Mike: April 2013

Uncle Evan

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,

Proverbs 17-22

As of this writing, Evan has eight nephews and two nieces. At least two more are on the way. Evan’s self-described goal as an uncle is to teach his nephews and nieces to be as silly as he is. In other words, he teaches them all of the silly games he and I played while he was growing up. He is off to a good start.

First of all, Evan believes that I have gray hair. I, of course, deny that outrageous claim. Every time one of his nephews or nieces agrees that their grandpa has gray hair, Evan will burst out laughing. So far, he has convinced Spencer, Andrew, and Leah. He is diligently working on Kyle.

If my grandkids are spending the night, I don’t need to worry about Evan sneaking in at 7 AM to wake me up. I have to worry about Evan AND his nieces and nephews sneaking into my bedroom. If the light doesn’t awaken me, their laughter does.

We were visiting David and his family one year when Evan did something I find totally unacceptable. He taught Andrew that he is allowed to defeat his grandpa in Connect Four, and even helped him to achieve this nefarious goal.

The motorized wheelchairs present a set of challenges. The youngsters are very curious about his wheelchairs. His power wheelchairs have controls that are within reach of the younger children. If they pull on the joystick control, the machine will move, again. This could hurt someone or damage the walls and furniture. Evan is very aware of the hazard and enforces a “Do Not Touch” policy. The only time I am aware of Evan ever raising his voice was telling his nephew, Aiden, “No. Don’t touch.”

The manual wheelchair is much less hazardous. In fact, Evan will sometimes let his young nieces and nephews hitch a ride. It is a joy to see their smiles.

Evan will continue his tutelage of his nephews and nieces as they get old enough to fall under his silly influence. This means several more years of laughter and fun.