Our house was in Nanny and Papa's backyard. And right next door to Daisy and her family. This was a blessing and a curse. There was always someone around to play with. And always someone around to catch you misbehaving. Once when I was 15, I was hiding behind my house smoking and I know Uncle Dennis caught me on his way to feed the cows...we had no secrets.
I gained one of my best friends when my mom got married. His name was Albert. At that time, he was three and blind as a bat. Sometimes he walked into door frames. When he had his eyes fixed and was prescribed glasses we started on a series of adventures that we still have today.
Albert and I became pirates, rock climbers, acrobats, and sometimes evangelical church leaders. We planned picnics for our mothers, rode our sleds off of the pond bank, and laughed hysterically.
As we got older our adventures continued. Albert always introduced me to new aspects of culture. Like sushi. It took me years to appreciate the deliciousness of sushi. We loved Phantom of the Opera, JAG, and Friends. And one time, while in St. Louis we ended up lost in the ghetto. Ride together, die together....
Albert is such a huge part of me. Sometimes a beacon of peace and hope.
Now we are all grown up. He has his life and I have mine. We aren't together near as much as I'd like. Now he has a fantastic life partner named Brad, and they both bring me such joy.
In this season of thanksgiving I'm reminded how blessed I am. In an instant I was given a brother, a partner, and a best friend for life. Those things are priceless.
Albert,
I love you. With my whole heart. Thank you for always accepting me. For laughing with me, even when it isn't appropriate. Thank you for supporting me. For being there when I needed to grieve. Thank you for exposing me to the world. Mostly thank you for being your fearless and wonderful self.
We saved the world.
