Today would have been my big brother's 46th birthday. He died last March. That's not something I normally say out loud, but I think I need to start getting over that. I get asked about my siblings a lot because my dad is so much older than most dads. My dad (who's 72) was married to a woman and had my brother and twin sisters. They got divorced and he married my mom and had my brother and me. My oldest siblings were in college by the time I was born. I never quite know what to say when people ask how old my oldest sibling is (was). I'll figure it out someday, I guess.
Joel was a professor at NAU, so it was really cool going to/working at the same university as him for 2 years. We even got to work Orientation together. He was the first speaker the students heard each day and he spoke to the parents on the second day. He really knew how to connect with them. He got the students laughing and participating and knew how to relate to the parents. I always felt so proud to tell my students that he was my brother.
My parents and other brother and I went to dinner tonight in honor of Joel. My sisters in Florida spent the evening on the beach (one of his favorite places) and Joel's wife and kids went to Sedona yesterday and had a party in Flagstaff. I hate that we can't all be together for times like this, but technology helps. So much has changed in the past few years. I never thought my college experience would include losing one of the most important people in my life. I'm a completely different person because of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment