My Brothers’ Keeper

I have tried and I feel like I have failed. A baby sister to two wonderful brothers-one just about 23 months older than me and the other almost 17 years older than me. One I shared a mother and father with, and the other, just a father. They call him my ‘half brother,’ but there’s no ‘half’ to it. He is my brother, PERIOD!

I lost one at a relatively young age-he wa 65. There were a few years that we were apart-geologically. He went to high school and college living with out other brother at the far end of the country. I saw him only during summer breaks…oh how I looked forward to his visits! Then after graduating from college, he came away to the US-to Los Angeles. I followed him with my new husband and we settled in San Diego. I was barely 20 and he 22. I was so homesick for my parents and my brother filled the void. We visited him every single weekend while he was a student at UCLA. Our lives intertwined as we both went on to expanding our families. He was insistent on having our parents move…and they moved in with him and lived in LA until their passing. Our mother outlived him by five agonizing months. Her life had no meaning after losing her beloved son. To me…he was a pillar from day one, especially when I lost my husband at age 46, to the time he left us. No amount of gratitude is sufficient.

To Be Continued as I gather my thoughts…..