Siblings, Siblings, and . . .

. . . Siblings!

This entire past week I've blipped about moments with my big sister. I can't say enough "thank yous" to the blip friends who yesterday gave me solid advice, helpful suggestions, and heartfelt condolences regarding the delicate and fragile world of sibling relationships. So today . . .

. . . well, late this afternoon we drove the 70 or so miles south to Escondido to see Mr. Fun's younger brother, David (his only brother and only sibling), who is dying of liver cancer. This past week David was admitted to a healthcare facility because he can no longer take care of himself.

Before we left home I hunted through old photos to find some of Mr. Fun and David. As I shuffled through odds and ends of snapshots, I found this one from a million years ago. As I cradled the photo in my hand, I wondered about their sibling rivalry.

A couple hours later I sat and watched these two brothers knowing that it could possibly be the last time they see each. David is 3 years younger than Mr. Fun and their adult lives have been anything but similar. All of his life David has been a gifted musician. He can pick-up any instrument and play it beautifully. David allowed that gift to get him in lots of trouble--as a teenager he dabbled in drugs, found himself incarcerated, and most of his adult life has been anti-establishment. He has two adult kids, and they are now shouldering the responsibility of making the decisions for their dad's well-being.

Weeks ago Mr. Fun asked forgiveness of David for all the times that as a big brother he picked on his younger brother and mistreated him. This afternoon watching Mr. Fun and David interact was very tender and caring. Sibling rivalry seems non-existent.

So while hunting through the stack of photos this afternoon, I also came across the one of our two kids -- our son Shawn and our daughter Dede at her senior prom many years ago. Deed was there with her boyfriend and Shawn was there with Deed's girlfriend who needed a date to the prom. At photo taking time, our kids knew we'd appreciate having one of the two of them, and now more than ever I love this photo. As I looked at it this afternoon I wondered what they would say about sibling rivalry. I think it would be less than pretty.

Siblings--we seldom understand them, and it's almost impossible to see their perspective; we often can't live with them, but--most of us wouldn't choose to live without them.

Good night from Southern California.
Carol (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol