Happy Birthday, Big Brother...Here's To Another Year

Another year older...it happens to all of us, as long as we keep breathing...to the best of us, the worst of us, the tall and the small, the rich and the poor. The passing of time is the great equalizer.

Today, my big brother reaches another milestone, or is it millstone...? 

Since he's my big brother, I've never known a day without him. My first memories include him. Us as children, us as college roommates, us at family gatherings...they all include him. The older we get, the more memories we have, also--unfortunately--many of those memories I can't remember, new memories replace the old.

One of my most prized photographs is a picture of my family, the three of us as children and my parents. It's understandable that my parents have passed (my dad's 100th birthday is next year...), but now, my brother and I are all that remain. 

The two of us.

As my sister called us, "The boys."

The boys had all the advantages, according to her, and it's easy for a younger sister to see it that way. The boys were always together. The boys always got along (at least, that's how she saw it and was right most of the time...). Yes, the boys...

The boys.

Happy birthday, Brother! You'll always be two years older than me, two years of birthdays ahead, two years wiser...well, maybe that's not always true. I can't imagine life without you so you'd better take care of yourself. Love you, bro.