Bubba’s my brother, my baby brother. Though it’s hard to call him that after reading what he has to say here. When I was ten my mom lost her sixth (and what she thought was her last) pregnancy when she was eight months pregnant. Because she had had five previous c-sections, six was the limit the doctors were permitting, it would be too dangerous to carry a seventh pregnancy. When I was twelve, into our lives came Bubba. Since I was about fourteen, I have always referred to Bubba as “Our Glue.”  He has always had the capacity to hold us together through the roughest times. The baby boy who wouldn’t be here had that little baby girl entered our lives just two years before. 

Bubba (James Thomas) has always had something extraordinary about him. A little wise beyond his years. An innate capability to understand others compassionately. When I was fifteen and the first boy in my life broke my heart, I remember sobbing with my head in my hands on the staircase. Before I could even hear him coming, into my lap crawled three-year old Bubba. He gently pulled my hands from my face, looked up into my red eyes and said “Colleen, I really liked Kyle too, but you can do better.” He was THREE!  

When he was eleven  and an avid tennis player traveling all over the country for tournaments, a hard-hit tennis ball hit him directly in his right eye. He lost all central vision in that eye, suffered from terrible headaches for years and had to give up the sport he loved. A year later when he found out he needed glasses and would have needed them despite the injury, and my mom turned to him after that appointment angry and upset saying “Bubba if you had had these glasses just one year ago, you wouldn’t be blind in that eye, the glasses would have protected you.” Bubba, not yet twelve, turned to my mom and said, “No ifs, Mom. It doesn’t matter, I am fine.” 

When he was five I left for college. On the morning I was getting ready to leave home for the first time, Bubba pulled me into the living room and told me he had something for me. He got out his “Tarzan” cd and placed it in the stereo system and played the song “You’ll be in my heart.” He cried a little and gave me a hug I’ll never forget. I never thought a Disney song would forever get me choked up. Especially not one from the movie Tarzan.

After his injury, he put all that energy once devoted to tennis into acting. He quickly had an agent and lots and lots of jobs performing in some of Chicago’s oldest and most important theater companies. A supporting role in a Lifetime movie. In his teen years he established quite the resume. I am in awe of his talent, but blown away by his humility. 

For two years while he was in junior high, I taught fourth grade at his school. We drove to work/school together everyday. And when he was just twelve, my baby brother became a best friend. I’ll never forget those two years with so much time with him.

Now that three year old toddler who made me laugh on the first day my heart was ever broken is nineteen! He’s studying theater and playwriting at NYU. He makes all five of his older siblings prouder of him everyday. 

More importantly, long before Annie, my baby brother was the one teaching me so many important lessons about life. He lives every day to the fullest and doesn’t let any obstacle get in the way of his dreams while still treating others everyday the way he would want to be treated. If you meet him you would never know of his amazing accomplishments. 

Bubba, I am so glad that Annie has such an amazing role model in her youngest uncle. But I am even more grateful that I have had such a tremendous role model in my own youngest brother. 

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