Ajay: The Ally Nephew

Story told by Connections editor, Steve Petersen

A Bursting Through Moment is a short story with a big impact. I recently had an unexpected but much-needed Moment with my nephew Ajay, which fits this relationships issue perfectly.

I have 14 nieces and nephews. Watching my siblings become parents, my parents become grandparents and myself becoming an uncle has been an important part of my journey.

My nephew Ajay is 12, he will be 13 in July. He is the oldest child of my little sister. When my older siblings first made me an uncle I was 15 and our family lived relatively close together. It was easy and natural to have time with my nieces and nephews.

When my little sister started her family by having Ajay, I was living on the East Coast and knew it would require more effort to get to know this new nephew. I put in that effort and got to know him as a baby and through all the phases of his life. I can honestly say I think of Ajay as a friend and have always enjoyed his company and like spending one-on-one time with him.

Ajay is an individual of distinctiveness and determination. I don’t recall him ever doing anything he didn’t think was necessary or viewed as important. This made the Bursting Through Moment I had with him that much more significant.

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting at my laptop writing stories for this relationship issue of Connections, I got a test from Ajay. It was just an image—like many 12 year old boys, he is a man of few words. It was a screenshot of Crash’n Bash Hobbies website where Ajay goes for his remote control car needs.