Brotherly Kindness

Grant came down with a fever today. He hasn't been complaining about not feeling well and if you ask him, he will insist that he is NOT sick. But he has been less active today and lying on the couch rather than running around, plus with the fever, I can tell he doesn't feel well.
I was reading him a story in bed tonight. William was lying with us, listening to the story. Halfway through the story William said, "Mom, I'll take Granty's sickness from him. I'll be sick instead....cause it's not fair, he's.....he's so much little-er than me".
(First of all, he's not littler than William, if anything he's got a lot more meat on him to deal with any illness, second, he is younger, but only by 18 months)

I explained to him that no matter how much we want to take away the pain of others, we sometimes can't. I told him I felt that way when he got in his accident last year.
But even so, I am so grateful that William has compassion and loves his brother that much that he would take his brother's pain and illness on himself so that his brother wouldn't have to suffer.
They truly are best friends & brothers.