Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Is There Really Something Called National Brothers Week?

I saw that which you see here on Facebook.

One can never trust what one sees on Facebook without running it past the Snopes filter.

But, in this instance, I am just going to choose to believe that it is true that we are currently in the midst of National Brothers Week.

I did not have a brother for the first 13 months I was on the planet. And then, there he was. I actually don't remember those 13 months before I had a brother. So, in my memory I have always had a little brother.

According to this thing, above, my brother was my first male friend for life. Actually, I think that was my dad.

My brother and I go through periods where we are not all that friendly.

Like the current period.

A couple months ago, out of the blue, my brother sent me a Facebook Friend Request. I wondered why now? We haven't spoken for a couple years. But I immediately confirmed the Friend Request.

This was most fortuitous, because that very day a mutual friend going back to our early childhood emailed me a message she wanted me to possibly share with my brother.

Because we were now Facebook Friends I was able to Facebook message my brother the message. My brother did not acknowledge receiving that Facebook message.

I figured he had not received it.

And then a few days later I get a call from Spencer Jack's dad, my favorite nephew Jason, who is also my brother's oldest son, telling me that that Facebook message from me to my brother led to my brother sending a letter to the party mentioned in the email from our mutual childhood friend.

Several days after that I saw that my brother had de-Friended me on Facebook. I don't think he likely understands the massive social faux pas he has committed. I think he probably does not understand how the Facebook Friending and un-Friending thing works.

I forgive him. This is what brothers do. We forgive and forget. At least that is my Brother Policy.

My brother and I have always been our own unique characters. My brother was what is known as a jock in school, mostly baseball oriented. While I did not get what was so special about playing baseball. Or throwing, catching and hitting a little ball.

I have never been a jock, of the team sports playing sort.

I have always been in fairly good shape, without playing any sort of team sport. My brother was in good shape when he played baseball, decades ago. But the baseball playing resulted in multiple sports injuries, resulting in multiple surgeries, resulting in the 2015 version of my little brother not being in quite as good a shape as the 2015 version of his big brother, the non-jock.

My little brother and I have gone through periods where we get along just fine. I remember driving my brother and his now wife, Jill, down to Lake Cushman, so Jill could meet mom and dad for the first time. This was shortly before I moved to Texas.

My brother and Jill married after I had moved to Texas.

I do not recollect if I was invited to that wedding.

I think my brother and Jill should take a Roadtrip to Texas. There is much they would enjoy here. Like the Fort Worth Stockyards. And Jill loves hamburgers. I think the Dallas/Fort Worth zone may be the Hamburger Capital of the World. And if the timing worked out we could go watch the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers in the very cool Ballpark in Arlington.

But, be warned, I have never made  it past the 7th inning without being bored to death, and leaving.....

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