As we enter this new year, I want to take the next three weeks to make daily posts about things I am grateful for. There was an old hymn I heard growing up called “Count your blessings”. So since I believe gratitude begets blessings, (and we all could use a little more of that,) Come with me as we go on this journey of thankfulness.
I always liked this photo and I not because I got him in a bad mood but because this was one of the few times I got the better of my brother Devin. He is a strategist and tends to plot things out while I tend to act more on impulse/emotion, (even if I don’t always outwardly demonstrate it) If it is any consolation he hit me in the head with a toy garden hoe a few weeks (?) later and gave me stitches, so he got his revenge.
One of the greatest blessings in my life is my brother. He is my only sibling and we are only a year apart so essentially grew up together. We have all the same relatives, our memories for the first 18yrs of our life are almost identical. Our memories are so entwined we almost speak in shorthand. Who else can I have a conversation that goes something like “I was over at that place by that thing where we met that one time that had that funny dog”‘ and still have the other person know exactly what I was talking about. We don’t even finish funny call back-references, “He’s like that one guy in that movie” it’s almost like a second language. there are a few people I am like that with but not very many at all, and no one like Devin.
I am very grateful that Devin is a part of my life, my childhood would have been a lot less joyful. It was so nice to have somewhere there to say ‘You’re alright. I’m going through it too,’ or at the very least to say ‘Yeah it’s kind of messed up, but I’m going through it too’ There is no amount of money in the world that can buy the peace that comes from not being alone. I just didn’t have a ‘stand-in’ brother. I was blessed with a highly intelligent, thoughtful and very funny brother. I can honestly say that even if Devin and I weren’t related and he was just someone I knew I still would very much want him as a friend in my life. I love you, Devin. Thank you.
