Chrissi B! celebrating a Birthday!

Today is "Older’s" birthday. As you may recall, "Older" is my brother, named for this blog because he is older than me. He is in truth, older than all of us.

Older is a great guy. He is also a great brother, and has been all of my life. I came into my family, when he was already established as the only child. He had garnered all the attention of grandparents, parents and cousins for many years. He was sitting pretty.

Along comes a screaming, crying little sister, and his world takes a different spin. Older, handled it with nary a worry. He always made time for me, room for me and a place for me. He was the first the toss me the car keys when my dad was a bit leery. He was the first to chip in for concerts and events when my dad said no. Older, was always on my side.

I don’t think Older would tell you this, but he was a gift from the very start. Born to my mom and dad, barley out of their teens, Older came with a laundry list full of physical problems. My dad often said he that he was so young and naive, that he didn’t know any other way. He was a kid, having a kid, so he and my mom jumped in and just moved forward. They dismissed the conventional thoughts of medicine and practice. They did it their way. They had each other. It wasn’t easy, but nothing ever is.

There were surgeries from the get go, with the biggest yet to follow. From birth through childhood Older had surgeries. When Older was just into high school, he was the first person in the United States to survive an unusual heart surgery. Taking the better part of the day, it was a huge success and furthered his life. It gave him a new chance at life.

Despite his trials, Older went on to get a masters degree and live a pretty mundane life. The wish of all parents for a child born with difficulties. It was not until he was in his forties that he became ill again and thus started a path back to my door. Lucky girl.

It is not always easy, but the good stuff never is. It is not always fun, but then fun can be over rated. It is always an adventure. Like we say at our house ... We are lucky just to get through each day. We are blessed.

So today, I celebrate my older brother. I celebrate the shuttle service he ran for me in my youth. I celebrate the cash he handed me in my teens and I celebrate him. He may never quite know what a gift he has been. Happy Birthday! Love you.

If you have siblings ...Grab a phone and call them. Write an email, send a note. Get past the rivalries and the pain and celebrate the gifts that they have brought into your life. ...Lucky you! Lucky me! Lucky us ....enjoy!