On siblings

Recent events have had me thinking a lot about my family, and about what it means to be a family. (Warning... I am about to bare my soul here....) I just need to say, for the record, that I love my brothers. Both of them. Fiercely.

We may fight and disagree from time to time, and we may all have different personalities that make it difficult to connect sometimes, and it's true that I get along better (and keep in better touch with) one than with the other. But the truth is that even when I get spitting mad at my "big brother," it's almost always about wanting him to accept me just as I am, and approve of the person I've become. And I think he does, deep down. It's also true that my "little brother" consistently rolls his eyes when I try to express stuff like this, but I also believe that he feels the same way, deep down.

My brothers are both hardworking, intelligent, decent, caring (in their own way ;-) ), stable guys who both have a great sense of humour. Maybe it's the gene pool (LOL), and I like to think I've "sistered" them well (I read an article in Chatelaine about that once and loved that term to describe how boys without sisters are different than boys with sisters). Most certainly our parents had much to do with how we turned out. But we siblings have also each shaped the other in many ways. And both brothers are incredible gifts in my life in very different ways.

As the one statement in that last video I posted pointed out, our siblings are the people most likely to be a part of our lives from start to finish... And my brothers have always been there when I needed them. As I will always be there for them. Because that's what family is. And I like to think I come from a family that is exceptional at being a family.

Don't worry Mom, you and Dad will get your own separate posts. Just not tonight. It's past my bedtime, you know. ;-)

Advice for Life

I was in my car for a total of about 5 minutes today, and managed to catch this on the radio. I'd forgotten about it since it first came out about 10 years ago, but it's so good, I didn't want to forget about it again. So I'm posting it here for future reference when I need some really sage advice about what's really important in life. And now I'll just let it speak for itself. Enjoy.

*snicker*

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Every Minute

I spend a lot of my spare time a) on the phone with my mom or my boyfriend, b) online with my brother or my boyfriend, c) "facebooking" with a variety of friends and relatives, and d) actually having face-to-face contact with friends & family near and far. Needless to say, these relationships are very important to me. I often lament the fact that I am some distance away from many of these significant people, but I also really value the ones that live close by. This week I went for drinks with a couple of friends from work one night, and I was reminded again how lucky I am to be surrounded by such warm, caring, and fun people, who allow me to be entirely me.

Tonight I was playing piano and came across a piece by Sara Groves that I hadn't played in quite a while. It nearly moved me to tears (yet again), and I wanted to post the lyrics here to say thanks to the people I love for loving me back. :-)

Every Minute (Sara Groves)
I am long in staying; I am slow to leave
Especially when it comes to you, my friend.
You have taught me to slow down and to prop up my feet.
It's the fine art of being who I am.
And I can't figure out why you want me around;
I'm not the smartest person I have ever met.
But somehow that doesn't matter.
No, it never really mattered to you at all.

And at the risk of wearing out my welcome,
at the risk of self-discovery,
I'll take every moment and every minute that you'll give me.

And I can think of a time when families all lived together,
four generations in one house,
and the table was full of good food and friends and neighbours;
that's not how we like it now.
'Cause if you sit at home you're a loser;
couldn't you find anything better to do?
Well, no I couldn't think of one thing
I would rather waste my time on than sitting here with you.

And at the risk of wearing out my welcome,
at the risk of self-discovery,
I'll take every moment and every minute that you'll give me.

And I wish all the people I love the most could gather in one place
and know each other and love each other well,
And I wish we could all go camping and lay beneath the stars
when there's nothing to do and stories to tell.
We'd sit around the campfire and we'd make each other laugh,
remembering when.
You're the first one I'm inviting; always know that you're invited, my friend.

And at the risk of wearing out my welcome,
at the risk of self-discovery,
I'll take every moment and every minute that you'll give me.
I'll take every moment and every minute that you'll give me.

Outlook is Everything

We met some really fun people on the cruise... Specifically the bunch that sat at the next table at dinner every night. Most of them were from Texas, but I believe one couple was from California. We competed with them each night for the title of "rowdiest table" in the dining room that seats 1500 or so people... :-)

I never did learn their names, but by the last night of the cruise, a few of us went for drinks and dancing with one of the couples. Watching them on the dance floor, I couldn't help but think that I only hope I can still be that active, and enjoying life that much at their age.

Upon arriving home, I had a lot of catching up to do - a week's worth of blogs from several of my friends... And I came across these videos on one blog about an octegenarian chorus. Apparently these are clips from a documentary. The group is called Young at Heart. These people are much further along in their lives than the Texans we met on the cruise, but they're enjoying life just as much. What an inspiration! (Keep your kleenex box handy for the second video...)

Stayin' Alive


Fix You


Search for "Young at Heart" on Youtube and you'll find lots more clips...

It's been a while...

So the cruise was fantastic, thanks for asking. :-) Of course there's lots to say about it, but there was one thing in particular that I remember on the very first day thinking, "I should blog about that."

Our transfer bus from the Houston airport to the port at Galveston was driven by a very large, very boisterous gentleman who was likely in his sixties... He informed us, just as he sat down to embark on our short journey, that he was a retired football player. (I'm sorry to all you football fans, but we never got his name. I also didn't recognize any of the players he mentioned playing with... but I did hear something about superbowl ring(s))...

Anyway, as I said, he was retired. And now he spends a couple of days a week driving this bus, and he donates his earnings to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Of course, aside from that fact that the particular organization he's helping is pretty close to my heart, I couldn't help but think that if everyone did something like that in their lives, the world would be a significantly better place.

I've always said that if I win the lottery, I'll keep working, but I'll do it for free (of course, I'd have to buy a lottery ticket first...) But this busdriver really had a win-win situation going. The organization benefits from the dollars, the bus company benefits from having an enthusiastic employee who's figured out how to make meaning from what I can imagine would otherwise be a pretty dull job, and the driver has a reason to get up every day and feel good about what he's done with his time.

Mr. Nameless Busdriver... I salute you!! :-)