Oh, Brother...

It's so strange to get old.  And I know I am not really "old" by today's standards.  45 is middle aged,  I suppose. But still, I remember being younger and being shocked that my brother, the oldest of my four siblings, was turning 40.  "Billy is 40?", I asked incredulously.    Being that my brother is one of the more delightfully immature people you will ever meet, the type that quite possibly mooned the postman that delivered his AARP membership card, it just doesn't seem possible that he is approaching 60.  He is having a hip replacement surgery tomorrow morning and yet that seems like a ridiculous notion.  In my mind he is forever young, giggling over pranks he played on his sisters, dancing with abandon at family weddings, walking around Hilton Head with a pitcher of mudslides in hand...He has always been a leader in our family.  When your parents get divorced, it seems to fall to the oldest, especially when it is a son, to take over the role of head of the household.  He was always loving and protective of our dear mother, and while we would laugh at his attempts to use his "serious voice" while on the phone, I remember looking up to him and being grateful for his guidance when our worlds were upside down after my father left home.  When my mom passed away, it was my brother who delivered the eulogy.  My sisters and I stood by him as he read, but he had the toughest job, and we were all so thankful for his courage and poise.  He added humor and some personal thoughts to what we had composed the night before, and delivered it with a strong voice that none of us could have managed.  He is all that a big brother should be and while we may not have been as close because of our 15 year age difference, I always have been thankful for his place in my life and in our family.  So tomorrow morning I will think of him as he goes into surgery and will say a prayer for his recovery and return to the dance floor at our next family wedding.  And if he needs a walker during his recovery I am sure it will be decorated with a few goofy stickers and a cup holder for his mudslides.