Five Things I Want My Brother to Remember
Today, I will be writing about five things I want my brother to always remember. As you read I pray that either you will be encouraged to reach out to your sibling, or reflect on your childhood, or the environment you are providing for the children in your life at this very moment. With this in mind, let’s jump right in! 😊
Growing up with you as my brother, I wouldn’t have it any other way! There is no other “childhood” that I would or could imagine that could possibly be any better! You were and are my personal one man comedy entertainment, and you don’t even mean to be half of the time! We lived for McDonalds release of Barbie and Hot Wheels Happy Meal toys. And when playing kitchen, we were always a McDonalds drive-thru! Somebody was always chasing somebody, or at least you felt like someone was chasing you, we would run and giggle and collapse to only find out no one was there! Reader Rabbit was pretty much the only thing we could play on our MAC computer, other than making banners with the continuous perforated paper, which we made a lot of! Holly Hill Mall was the hot spot, and if not there, you could find us at K-mart or Roses. And Christmas lists were made by turning down pages and circling things in Sears and Toys-R-Us catalogs. We thought we had hit the jackpot when we bought our Gateway computer in Greensboro, remember that? That was a planned family outing! And then the bag car phone came along, our minds were blown! Beepers and StarTek phones and antennas, shew, we have come a long way! Of course there were all the songs we made up, like Reggie the Wedgie 😂. Matching pjs, Mama’s sugar, “stop copying me” back and forth, Shotgun! (is this even politically correct anymore?). What could be better? Not a thing!
You will forever be my music, movies, and tv buddy! You were my DJ for my imaginary dance studio growing up, but you will always be my DJ. I promise I will never ruin another song like I did when you shared “Don’t take the Girl!” 😕 Cassettes, 8-tracks, records, cds, mixed tapes and cds, who would have ever imagined that we would have a phone that would hold it all?!?!? Or that we would see the end of video stores 😭. All those times we went to Blockbuster or Flicks Video for VHS rentals, and then DVD rentals! Walking the aisles, attempting to decide on ONE movie, because we could only be responsible for returning one 😂. Would it be National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, or Sister Act, or Mr. Holland’s Opus, or Chariots of Fire, or Mrs. Doubtfire, or Wallace and Gromit? And TV, there is nothing like the excitement that comes with living for Nick @ Nite or TGIF. And remember how we would get the Disney Channel for one week a year? And Family Channel was really a family channel, with 25 days til Christmas movies, those were the best! We would have to let Paw-Paw know if we wanted something recorded, because he would record on a VHS, good memories. From The Wonder Years, Dukes of Hazard, Happy Days, Sanford and Sons, The Jeffersons, Family Affair, All in the Family, Saved by the Bell, Prince of Belair, Boy Meets World, Full House, Duck Tales, The Jetsons… oh man, I miss these days. Even the days that we were the remote because there was no remote, it was all on the TV. Simple times.
I am so grateful that we have always been the best buddies, and continue to be! I hope this never changes! We have always been a bit sneaky. Our inside jokes, if we were to attempt to explain, no one would understand. Snacks are our favorite food group. We have a weak spot when it comes to quality clothes and shoes, especially a souvenir t-shirt! We share a love of toys, gadgets, and cars. We love the smells of a race track, especially burnt rubber tires. And it has always been my honor to cheer you on in swimming, racing, and life as a whole. And I am forever thankful for the many times you cheered me on in dance and life. Also, thanks for all the t-shirts and sweatshirts along the way that ended up in my closet, most are now in your children’s closet 😂
You have always been a safe place in my life. Physically, I always knew I could come to you and you would let me be me. Spiritually, I always knew you would point me to Jesus. Emotionally, I knew you were going to be there no matter what, good-hard-smooth-rocky times. Mentally, I knew you would always make me laugh in one way or another.
I will always be your cheerleader! I will cheer you on as a Son, Brother, Husband, Daddy, Uncle, Family, and Friend. As a son, I can tell you that you are extremely valued and loved, you bring so much joy to our parents! As a brother, I cannot count the abundance of ways I love you! I believe in who you are and I am so incredibly proud to say, “Yes! AJ is my brother!” Always have and always will! As a husband, you have been faithful and supportive in the ways the Bible has guided you, and as God has called you. As a Daddy, you have fought for your family and provided for them. I never want to hear you say you regret not going to college! You are the reason I had the courage to make different choices in my education. I watched you, you are by far the most brilliant self-taught entrepreneur I know! You learned your multiplication tables by visualizing race cars and their numbers! Seriously?!?! You are a GENIUS! You can sell literally anything and connect and talk to anybody! That is a rare talent!!! Bravo!!! As an uncle, I am so grateful to have witnessed you with Lucy. And to have been parents together for a short time, I could not ask for more! To watch you with your nieces and nephews is something that is beyond this world. Joy. Pure Happiness. Uncle AJ, Uncle Washing Machine😊 As a cousin, nephew, grandson, and friend, you have the heart the size of the world! And I know you sometimes feel like this is a bad thing, but let me tell you, it’s a blessing! If you are feeling everything, you are alive, my brother. It’s when you don’t feel anything that I will come and talk some sense into you😂, because that’s NOT my brother.
We have experienced many highs, lows, and in-betweens, but that is what has brought us closer. We have walked through multiple diagnosis, learning challenges, friends passing away, heartbreak. We have celebrated, welcomed new life, laughed, played, lived life to the fullest. At the end of the day, I want you to know, AJ, you are AJ in whom CHRIST dwells. You belong to Him. You answer to Him. You are greatly loved by Him. You are loved and valued and I am incredibly grateful to be your little sister and for you to be Lucy’s uncle. Thank you for sharing your littles with me, I am indeed a very blessed aunt!
Life Book of the Week: One of our favorites from childhood, Shake my Sillies Out, by Raffi
