Dear Brother,
Jimmy, it’s been quite awhile since I last wrote you. The last
time I saw your body was in a local hospital. You had the religious shirt on
that I had bought you the previous Christmas. It had been ripped to try to save
your life, which was unsuccessful. That was a bad day for our family that no one’s
gotten completely over. Mom has never quite been herself since she lost you.
I need to let you know that as your older brother (and
now in my mid-fifties) I have a lot of regrets concerning you. When you passed
away, I was in my late twenties (and a different person than I am today). I
know that I was not always the best brother I could have been.
I want you to know right now that I really did love you.
You deserved someone who cared for you to hold your hand as you passed into
eternity. My reasons for not being with you back then don’t seem to be that
important today. I wish that you had gotten to enjoy all the blessings that
have happened since your passing.
I know that you and my wife (Bobbi) would have been close
friends. My adult missionary daughter (Allena) is an incredible young lady that
is a great combination of the two of us. Uncle Jim would have also been a
favorite with our three Chihuahuas. Your sister (Kim) has two daughters, Lauren
and Kelly
I hope your spirit’s journey to Heaven upon your death
was quick and uneventful. In that
timeless place, I hope you are happy in your new body. Give Dad and our stepdad
(Robert) a big hug from me. I think of them both often. I’ve got to ask about
what kind of chaos the Kinker kids must be creating in Heaven. Keep them in
line before their mom and I can get there. Let them know that we’ve never forgotten
them. We love them. I need to tell you that there are many people here remember
you fondly (including me). That’s about
all have to say.
Robert
“Sibling
relationships...outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, [and] resurface
after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand
incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust.” (Erica E. Goode)
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| My brother, Jimmy, in the shirt I bought him at Christmas |
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