Today my brother Jim would have been 48 years old. This time of year I miss him terribly and I’m reminded of how intentional we should be while we are alive. Sibling grief is a strange thing. You are suddenly faced with your own mortality on a regular basis once you experience it.
In a few years I will reach the same age he was the year he died. That is really weird. While my sadness for this loss is nowhere as intense as it was in the first years following his accident, emotions are still set off by the slightest reminder of him. A John Mellencamp song on the radio, the sound of a older brother snapping his sister with a towel at the pool, the smell of Brut aftershave or stale beer (don’t ask).
We were so different. But he was such a presence in my childhood. Years have gone by and now it is only in my dreams where I can fully remember him and what he looked and sounded like.
This new year I have committed to be very intentional to love my family well. It was a simple and personal resolution I made to myself. Today I am reminded yet again why this commitment is so important.
Happy Birthday Jimmy. I miss you.
