TheDiscipleMD
Today is the birthday of my now deceased brother who I miss very much. It’s now been close to twenty years since he passed away. Shortly before he died of cancer, we had a special evening where our family gathered together to celebrate his life. I remember taking a magic marker and putting numbers and names on the back of white t-shirts of who we pretended to be when we were kids. A ‘murders’ row of old Yankees we followed and worshipped. 1 for Bobby Richardson, my hero, and 7 for Mickey Mantle, idol of many, 14 for Bill Skowren that my sister Dona liked, and the names of many others that my siblings followed. We sang, we laughed, we talked of days gone by. Every baseball game we ever played was replayed with the victories growing ever more spectacular. One of us was the hero of every story. Ah, what a night!
My brother seemed to enjoy the evening, although it was evident to me that he was in pain. For me, it was a wonderful evening that testified of the love and support that a family has for each of its members. Within a month of our gathering he passed to the other side of the veil.
All of us have times in our lives that can become challenging, and having the support of your family is of great comfort. I, along with a number of my siblings were able to go with my brother to the Huntsman Cancer Center when he started his Chemotherapy treatments.
Another brother and I both thought how scary it would be to enter the unknown, but he and I both felt that with loved ones by your side, things are more manageable. We were both happy that we flew out to see and be with our older brother in his time of suffering. As we ate in the hospital cafeteria together that day, my ill brother cried tears of gratitude for having loving brothers and sisters who would rally around him. My healthy brother related to me that shortly thereafter, he had some alone time with my older brother. He told my dying brother, “I don’t think you know how much I love you!” His response back was “Yes, I do, because I have the same love for you!,” captures all there is to know about the beauty and majesty of brotherly love.
Robert D. Hales once said:
“Any of us may experience a spouse, a child, a parent, or a member of our extended family suffering in one way or another—mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually—and we may experience these tribulations ourselves at times. In short, mortality is not easy. Each family has its own special circumstances. But the gospel of Jesus Christ addresses every challenge—which is why we must teach it to our children. (“With All the Feeling of a Tender Parent: A Message of Hope to Families,” Liahona, May 2004, 88–91)
When I got the call that my older brother had passed away, I immediately got on the phone to my brother Andy to talk. His office, at the time, was less than a mile away from mine. I spok with his secretary and she informed me that he had left the office upon hearing of the death. of our brother. I hung up the phone and thought for a moment, where could he be. And out of the blue I thought of a small pond that was located just a short distance from both of our offices. So I got in the car and I drove to the pond to find him there sitting on a bench with his head down. I don’t know what it is about family, brothers, sisters. I just sat beside him. We didn’t talk. We just sat together and shared, as siblings do, the loss.
The gospel of Jesus Christ does address every challenge. I miss my brother, as well as other family members who have passed on. But I have full faith that one day a heavenly family reunion will occur, and we will laugh as we share the memories of life and all the beauty that came with it. And once again share stories where one of us, is always the hero!