Thursday, February 13, 2014

Lucky

Brothers are good I realized anew last weekend. I didn't always feel this way. Growing up I always wanted a sister to shop with, share clothes with, etc. I finally got a sweet one but not until I was twenty years old, and we do shop when we see each other!

Growing up though, I was the responsible older sister often left in charge of two younger brothers who never seemed to appreciate my great wisdom and didn't mind telling me so or worse totally ignoring me. They spent their younger years wrestling and fighting which I honestly found hard to tell apart. They matured into teenagers with very different interests. John was more interested in music and sports while Mark was more into hunting and fishing and rebuilding transmissions, a skill which came in very handy during my early destitute years as an adult. Thanks again, Mark! I was involved in the church youth group and the drum and bugle corp at school along with one or another boyfriend at the time which I considered to be much more mature ways to spend one's time, except maybe the boyfriend.

Flash forward 30 years or so. Last weekend, I found myself going back to my home town to see my ailing step dad and mom. While I was in town, my brothers and I and their spouses (love them!) planned a work weekend at my childhood home

Mark, John and and I met at The Old Spaghetti Warehouse the night I arrived and had a fun time just the three of us catching up before making a plan for the weekend. Now they are ready to listen to me! Not really. We listened to each other as we discussed the various issues we are now facing with our aging parents. The next day as we tackled different tasks, I was amazed at how incredibly capable and generous Mark and John are as adults. Not that I didn't already know this, but working together in our childhood home brought back memories when we were all once young, self centered and less than generous. Together they completely cleaned out and organized the garage, put up lights, made several runs to the Good Will and the dump. The next day John looked at their finances and set up on-line accounts to help them with bill paying, etc. Am I glad I have brothers now! Not only did they lift an old dishwasher among other things into Mark's pick up truck to haul off, but their presence and effort that weekend showed incredible love and honor to my parents.

By the way, this gives me hope for my son who is going through a series of difficult, but normal I'm told, phases. If both my brothers who also went through a couple difficult phases as I recall, turned out to be a successful and loving husbands, fathers and sons, then there's a chance my son can do the same, right? I should be so lucky.