I would like to take just a few minutes to relate how I learned that love is what really makes a family or makes a person part of a family. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have an amazing big brother. He brought me surprise gifts for no reason other than to see me smile, he was always willing to play catch or a video game, or anything else that I asked him to do. And he was always there for me whenever I needed him. I just grew up thinking of him as my brother, not my brother-in-law. My sister was much older than I, so I met my big brother when I was about 5 or 6. I was a very shy kid and didn’t even speak to him the first time he visited our house. But he was determined to win me over, and in a very short time, he was just my big brother.
As the years past, it became very clear to me that he was not only a very special big brother, he was a very special person to everyone who knew him. He always had time to help anyone in need, regardless of who they were. He was just as eager to help a perfect stranger as he was to help a friend or family member. I can honestly say that my big brother was just a good person who cared deeply for others.
What I learned from this man was not only how to be a good sibling but how to be a good person. He treated every member of our family as if they were his blood relatives. He treasured our dear but ornery grandmother, and he would and did do anything that my parents needed for their entire lives. And even though he was not related to me by blood, the love in his heart was a much stronger bond.
The day that my father passed, our father passed, he was the one who stood with his arm around me as they prepared to carry my father’s body from his home. We were asked to leave the room, but I couldn’t. I needed to watch and to see that they were respectful and careful with my father’s body. The attendants asked me to leave a second time and I told my brother I needed to stay, for Dad. He smiled at me with a tear in his eye and told them that we would stay. The attendant looked at his 6’3” frame and didn’t ask us again.
This man was my father’s son and my brother in every way that mattered. He taught me that family is anyone whom you hold dear in your heart, anyone who loves you and can make you smile in even your darkest moments. I am sharing this story today as a part of his legacy on what would have been his 66th birthday. He was an amazing person and brother, and I am a better person for having been his little sister. Happy Birthday Boss!