For Christ(opher)'s sake!

Today is a day for multiple celebrations. Today is the 18th anniversary of my parents becoming grandparents for the very first time. It's the 18th anniversary of my big brother Micheal, and his lovely wife Caroline, becoming parents for the very first time. It's also the 18th anniversary of my becoming an aunty for the very first time... This, of course, means that today is the day that my eldest nephew officially becomes an adult, can vote in political elections, and can learn the pleasures of a glass of good wine or a fine spirit in public... Today, Christopher turns 18.

I can remember the very moment I found out that Christopher had arrived - I was sitting in my classroom at school, working on an assignment quietly, completely absorbed, when all of a sudden my mother's head was right next to mine, and she was telling me that Micheal and Caroline had had a little boy. She was so excited she'd driven right to my school to tell me. Being at quite a finicky age, when parents weren't so cool, I acted nonchalantly and responded with something like "... So...?" But of course, as only a pre-teen myself, I couldn't possibly have known that one of the most brilliant people I would ever know had just arrived in the world.

One of Christopher's stand out qualities, well known amongst our family, his peers, and anyone who meets him, is that he has an exceptional mind. I have quite often joked (very seriously!) that I look forward to the day when Christopher, by then a self made millionaire, will hire me on a ridiculous salary as his personal assistant! But there is much more to this incredible young man than his distinctions and scholarships. Christopher has a good head on his shoulders - and by this I mean he has the rare ability to know who he is and what he wants, without succumbing to peer pressures. He has the great gift of being able to pursue his own dreams without amending them to fit in with the passing fancies of others around him and I only wish I had his self confidence and self assurance, not only when I was a teenager, but even now!

With a gentle spirit, and a willingness to help others wherever he can, Christopher is already a young man to be admired; I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to see what happens next with my eldest nephew. I am so proud of all of his achievements to date, but more than that, I am proud of the amazing young man he has become. Today, I hope that he has a day filled with nothing but fun, happiness, laughter, and love, and I hope that his future is everything he wants it to be and then some. May all your dreams come true Christopher... Except maybe the one about the rabid turkeys...

Me, Jonathan, and Christopher at Edinburgh Castle, Dec 2007

Happy 18th birthday! xx