The "Everybody Needs A Brother Like Mine" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking to my brother, Steve, about when we can get together again and visit a couple of antique shops or head to the auction to see if there might be something we might want to place a bid on.  

This is one of the few photos I have where
I am bigger than my brother Steve.

Steve is five years my junior and I only got to know him real well a few years ago, since when we were younger we both had our own friends and own places to visit and never really went on vacation together after we were both out of high school.  When I met my wife we used to go on dates to see Steve's high school basketball games.  But then Carol and I began our family and Steve entered the US Marines.  When he returned to Lancaster he became engaged and he and his wife began their family and we only seemed to get together on holidays and special events.  Well, a few years ago Steve and his wife Kathy began to travel to the Jersey Shore in the fall for vacation and began to invite Carol and myself.  I got to know my brother better than I ever knew him.  

Photo of my brother and me when we were showing off
our new earrings at his sons wedding reception.

Then the four of us began to take a day once a month and head to the Chesapeake Bay for lunch and shopping at antique shops.  I recently spent time with him teaching him how to make stained glass artwork.  I'm going to try to get him to show me how to sell my old junk on eBay which he has been doing for years.  Carol and I recently took our yearly trip to St. Martin after having some major medical problems and Steve and Kathy were both concerned with us leaving for the trip.  And then wouldn't you know it, we both had to go to the doctor while on St. Martin due to bad colds.  I had promised to send Steve an email after a few days to tell him how we were both doing while on vacation.  My email did tell him of our visit to the island doctor.  Shortly we got an email from him which read: This is Steve woods, hope you remember me, I told you to stay home didn't I and you both had to go and get sick and take foreign medicine again.  

Photo taken in Stone Harbor, New Jersey when we were
both trying a see if we liked a new drink.

My poor brother I hope he managed to have a little fun with his sickness, I bet he misses me, will talk to you as soon as you return to the United States of America, hopefully this will be the last time we have to be worried sick about you two, mother would not have approved of all this.  We laughed so hard it made us begin to cough again.  Carol immediately returned the email asking him if this is one of those pfishing emails?  Well, a day later he emailed back to us saying: No, this is your favorite brother in law who thinks it's time you two get home.  I believe there is a kitty cat who is missing his mommy and daddy. Talk to you soon.  Yeah, we were having a good time going back and forth, but I believe Steve was really concerned and was genuine even though he did it in a rather humorist manner.  For all the years that I missed having a close relationship with my brother, I'm loving it now.  If only our parents could be alive to see it ....  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.