Thursday, December 21, 2006

Birthday Brother

I am the youngest of seven kids. Always have been :) Which means I have at least seven birthdays to remember, but if you know me at all you know that I have a great memory for things that most people forget. If only I could switch that so I could remember important things, well then, I'd be set. Set in what? I dunno. Ah, but I digress.

Today is my brother's birthday. The brother that is just two years older than I. The brother that I, as a kid, thought hated me. The one that was my most bitter rival in all things brotherly. The one who, if he caught me riding his bike would chase me down, grab that bike by the sissy bar (remember those?...If you don't, don't ask) and walk me to a dead stop and tip me off of said bike only to ride it home and park it in the garage. The brother that always seemed to get lost in the shuffle. I mean, even his birthday always played second fiddle to Christmas (not to mention the fact that if falls on the shortest day of the year), but he never complained. Never!...Still doesn't. When we were young I thought he would break me in half, and he easily could have, given the fact that he outweighed, out-muscled, out-almosteverythingelsed me, but he never hurt me terribly. And now that I have two boys of my own with roughly the same age distance between them, I'm beginning to understand that he pummeled me because that's what brothers do, not out of hate or malice. It helped to make me who I am today. And who I am today is his little brother that is grateful and full of admiration and respect for a the man that my brother is.

Happy Birthday Will! (I'd shake your hand but I know you could still snap it off in a heartbeat if you wanted to :)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for coming by work this morning and shaking my hand, hope you have to carry all your pakages with just one hand today! If you have had less birthdays then us,I was born on the shortest day of the year, I'm probably younger than you..so that makes me the youngest---no thanks-they get spoiled. Thanks for coming by this morning and I WILL enjoy my birthday!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Will. Congratulations on aging well and on having such a fine younger brother. Thanks for letting him live long enough to be both of our friends.

Mark

Lori said...

John,

I don't know if you see these comments through email or not, but thought I'd at least try here.

I've been reading some of your older posts. You remind me so much of my older brother; someone I adore and admire, especially for the love he has for his family. I see that with you towards your own children.

I've been thinking a lot about your latest post...and about being lonely. I had some thoughts about it all, as I can somewhat relate to what you're feeling. If you'd like, my email is: lori101761@gmail.com