Family Profile: Brian

Okay, I've been trying to think of some new features to add to my blog. I got to thinking, these are supposed to be the stories of my life. What characters are the most important co-stars in my life? Well, that would be my family and friends. In fact, I can't think of anyone I would rather write about than those who have shaped my life. So, without further ado, here is my first family and friends profile.

Brian is my older brother, but beyond that he is one of the greatest shapers I've had in my life. I look back and while we didn't have the easiest situation growing up, Brian and I definitely made the best out of it. When we were young we did basically everything together. Oh, do I have stories. I will share a few of them with you.

When Brian and I were about 12 or 13 we had an obsession with baseball cards. For two years, 1980 and 1981 our appetite for them were insatiable. I remember on Sunday nights when Mom and Vern were away we would sneak in to their room where they had a big coffee can of change. It didn't seem like a lot, but we would snatch a couple of dollars (each pack was 35 cents) and one of us would make the party store run. We would hop on our bike and through a small hole in a fence venture out on to I94, riding down the steep hill of the exit to get to the party store. We would get our packs of baseball cards then pedaling against the traffic of 94, make our way back home. If by chance we decided to walk instead of taking the bikes, we would run across the expressway's 4 lanes, climbing over the wall in the median so we could get across and get our cards. We should have been killed, multiple times.

Brian has always been my best friend. I was so honored to be his best man at his wedding and to have him as mine at my wedding. I wish I could have been more cognizant when he tied the knot. I was going through a very miserable time in my life and hated myself and my life. He was however a beacon of light and helped me get through that period, not only with his friendship, but just his companionship. He allowed me to join his circle of friends and include me in his activities and that meant a lot.

We've always done things together. I remember in Texas we had an obsession with weapons and fighting. We used whatever materials we could to make things that we could use to kill each other. I had a favorite axe handle that I drove nails through that I liked to fight with. He made shurikens cut from aluminum that he would use to practice with. This continued as we made bigger and badder items. One day we geared up and went hunting snakes in the woods around where we lived. We weren't just hunting mundane non-poisonous species, but deadly copper heads. At somewhere around 80 pounds had I been bitten I probably would have died. I still remember the joy of walking into the neighborhood with one of our vanquished foes draped over the end of a long stick that served as one of our man made weapons. We should have been killed with that little escapade.

Brian has taught me a lot. He has challenged me with arguments. I remember constantly arguing politics and issues of the day with him while in high school. He made me think. I was always so envious of him because he got great grades in school with little effort while I struggled. He gave me something to shoot for though. He also introduced me to college. I got to visit him at U of M and loved the environment. Granted, he didn't go the whole four years, but the fact that he was the first from my immediate extended family to go made me want to be successful all the more. I remember going to Ann Arbor to visit him and just the passion he felt for the atmosphere. It was contagious and made me excited about college. I remember I raised my senior year GPA up from somewhere around 2.2 all the way to 3.46. I really believe Brian should be given much of that credit.

I've always been really proud of my brother. Like I said earlier, he is incredibly smart, much smarter than me. He has also done some things that has made me proud. His short stint in the military is still a story I like to tell. I brag about how well he did on his crypto test over in Detroit. I am inspired by how he took a job working in a lumberyard to where he is now. He learned all of that stuff through force of will and is now recognize for his brilliance in the building industry. That is incredible and makes me proud to be his brother.

I remember when we were kids playing games together. These games continue to influence my life. We would make up our own games, and wile away hours of our time sitting at an old rusty table outside on the covered patio of our trailer playing. Later in life we would have the pop up camper covered in books, dice and papers as our summers were spent playing role-playing games in the heat of the day and late into the night. Those were some good times.

Brian was fun to hang out with as a kid, even if he got tired of me following him around. I really don't think he minded it though. I have fond memories of laying on the bottom bunk of our bed, him on the top bunk, listening to the radio on a Sunday night, talking about the songs as they played. Occasionally mom would yell in to be quiet and go to sleep and we would continue whispering late into the night.

Now I live in Indiana, far away from my family and my brother. We don't talk much, and I miss that. When I do make it up to Michigan I don't see much of my brother, maybe a few hours here and there. If there is one thing I can regret, it's that. I would love to be more involved with him, and the rest of my family, but I can't leave this place. I just want everyone to know that my love for my brother extends beyond the familial bond and goes deep into my appreciation of our friendship. I know that this is reciprocated simply because after nearly 40 years, I know my brother.

Thank you for introducing me to many of my life long joys. I love the books you've introduced me to. I love the games we've played and shared together. I've learned from the lessons you've taught me and the point of view you've taken on issues. Our paths may have diverged, but my memories are still born from the time we spent growing up and for that I will always have a life long appreciation.