Dedicated to my brother, Don, my very first superhero whose Light I want to emulate and steps I want to follow.
I count my lucky stars for my brother, Don, as he was my first superhero. His larger-than-life presence captures the hearts of many – especially mine. He’s comfortable in his own skin in a way I only dream of being and can brighten up a dark situation with his awesome wit.
Growing up, I idolized him and always wanted to be in his company. My presence was likely annoying but that didn’t stand in the way of Don letting me play “ditch” with our neighbors. “Ditch” was just a fancy term for hide and go seek. Our nightly ritual would last for hours and never seemed to lose its fun.
I felt more comfortable playing “ditch” outside than I did being inside our house as my family wasn’t a cohesive one. We were more like four individuals living under the same roof. Although we routinely did things together, feelings of being connected were uncommon. But when they did occur, my brother seemed to be our common denominator, our connection.
One time, we traveled to Myrtle Beach for vacation. After 12 hours of driving, we checked into our hotel and unpacked enough to find our swimsuits. We stepped out onto the hot sand, reached for each other’s hand and began running along the beach. My dad held my mom’s, and mom held my brother’s and Don held mine. It seemed magical. It was brief but long enough for me to capture the feeling of belonging and wonder, ‘so this is what being a family feels like?!’
Another time, we were traveling to Iowa for our yearly vacation to visit extended family. We were lost and our car started overheating. My dad managed to pull the car off the road and Don began helping my dad unscrew the radiator cap. Smoke bellowed out. Don quipped, “Is it soup, yet?” Tears of laughter streamed down our faces. We were 150 miles off track, lost and had an overheated car but my brother’s sharp, quick wit cut the tension and brought us all together. His humor was a great connector within our family and one that often seemed nothing short of heroic.
My favorite memory of connection happened at Christmas when I was 12. My brother had just finished his Sunday paper route and he was counting his money on his bed. I can’t recall how much he had earned but remember his excitement when he tallied up all his tips. We acted like he had just won the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes and threw the money up in the air and giggled when it hit the bed. He was jazzed and I was excited for him.
Several days later, Christmas morning arrived, and we got up to unwrap our gifts. Sitting in the corner was a package I hadn’t noticed before and I chose to open it first. “To Tina, From Don.” We had never exchanged presents before so I was caught off guard. I tore off the paper and opened the box. It was a charm bracelet around the neck of Winnie the Pooh. It was a gift unlike any other. It was a lifeline – my brother, my superhero was using his hard-earned money on ME! My heart swelled and my spirit soared that Christmas morning as it was touched by the heart of my brother.
Over fifty years later, my heart retains the shape it expanded to that Christmas morning as that is in and of itself the virtue, magnitude and power of a superhero. To this day, Winnie the Pooh, accompanies me on special events and reminds me of the superhero I have in my brother.
20
0
665
2