Today though I am going to count my brothers.... because man what would my life be without them. Shawn is 2.5 years younger than I am... and Brenden is 8.5 years younger than I am. So while they haven't been there my ENTIRE life... pretty close. My first memory that I can absolutely pinpoint a date to.... is the day that my Dad and I picked out a little ducky toy to bring to Shawn on the day that he was born. From that point forward he was an active part of my life. And while as a child I didn't always count that as a blessing... as an adult I most certainly do.
Shawn was a mix of worst enemy best friend. In our childhood we could often be at war with each other... and then ten seconds later be thick as thieves. He shot me with a B.B. gun ... I shot him with an arrow... neither of us even try to pretend it was by accident any more. It might surprise you then to know that I once pulled a bully off of him with threats of beating the bully's ass myself... and that Shawn has gone to bat for me more times than I think I could count. There have been times in our lives where we had the same or at least a very similar circle of friends... and there have been times where I couldn't say that I KNOW but a few of his friends. When he was in Iraq and I was pregnant with Ashlynn. He called me nearly EVERY DAY! I am not kidding... I spoke with him several times a week without fail. I e-mailed him photos of our life and his daughter and her life nearly as frequently. Whether I was taking care of him while he was away.... or he was taking care of me through a difficult pregnancy where I was bedridden after having lost three babes.... who knows. We could say it was either, the fact is that I was so caught up in making sure HE had what HE needed that I wasn't as able to worry as I could have been. And when he got home my whole world brightened. He is my hero. I am so proud of him, and so grateful to be his sister.
Brenden and I have had a very different sort of relationship. Brenden is much younger... and I started babysitting for him before he was a full year old. I remember him as a baby and as a toddler. I remember tickling him and loving his laugh and smile when he was unable to walk. I remember his curls and his sweetness when he was the age of my children now. I know the sweetness and vulnerability of the child that he was.... and the amazing man that his IS. When we were younger I watched him during winter break, spring break, and summer break. But watching him is a misnomer... because we were constant companions, it was hardly a "babysitting job." Instead it was walks to the library where he would pick out TONS of books and then going home to read them all... sometimes in one sitting. It was walking to get ice cream, going to ride go-carts, hiking in the park. It was a whole lot more than just watching him. It was a friendship... it just happened to be between brother and sister... babysitter and kid. That friendship has continued into adulthood. It is rockier now... a great deal in part to the fact that I have had trouble transitioning to his being adult.... and because when he went through his teen rebellion.... well he rebelled against me more than he did my mom and dad. Weird but true.
Still when I went to the doctor's office for our last visit and found out that Rowan was gone.... it was my brother that had gone with me.... it was my brother who held me as I sobbed. It was Brenden who cried with me as he realized that my baby was gone.... and how it hurt me. When I have to go for a bit and my furry babies need cared for... it is my brother who I turn to. Not because he is the most convenient.... but because I know beyond a shadow of any doubt that he is the ONLY person on this earth who loves my Abby as much as I do.... and YES I mean ONLY! I know that he would do anything for my dogs. I know that he understands some of the glitches that a rescue dog has.
Brenden's heart is so pure and so amazing. His love for animals goes so deep as to be who he is. This man who for Christmas many years ago got me a new sweater... because he recognized that I always have ONE sweater... and that it is extremely important to me... that it becomes a part of me... and that I had lost my most recent one. It is this attention to detail that has him knowing things about the people he loves well enough to make sure they get the perfect gift. Brenden is one of my best friends... he is every thing a sister could ever ask for in a brother. I am so proud of the man he has become.... I cherish the memories of the sweet boy that he was. I love everything about this man.... and I call him brother with a great deal of pride. I am so very blessed to be his sister.
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