So where do I start since my entire existence I have known your Dad as my older brother…

To say that having an older brother who resided in a wheelchair meant our experiences were limited is surprisingly not the case. Our activities included playing basketball,  tennis, table tennis, lifting weights, playing guitar, and yes snowmobiling! And yes your Dad had experiences of going out solo to drive his Boston Wailer fising boat and even had early years of knee boarding! And on top of that, the only reason I didn’t have the typical memories of wrestling matches with him was because his ability to inflict pain with his incredibly strong hands and upper body strength sent the message early on to me to not mess with him! 

So one of the famous Burt memories was when his friend BJ Fay and him took the boat out on Caz Lake in NY to go fishing.  Hours went by and our family became concerned about their whereabouts. When they later returned, it turned out that they were collecting tennis balls in the water near the Caz Country Club! 

I was always fond of my big brother. He carried that role well. He seemed to always be available when I needed advice and this continued even into his busier family years. He was not the kind of brother who was a poor listener or had more important things to do then spend time with his little bro. He was the patient and attentive listener who knew just when to speak. I think he picked up on the fact that one of my love languages was quality time and while he may not have valued it in the same way, he still honored it. He showed Christ to me in these many ways.

I noticed over the last 15 years that our journeys shared some similar paths. Both of us pursued our dreams to attend grad school only to discover another career path years later. At one point our parents moved to Virginia to be closer to us only to have both of us one by one move away. However,  a few years later we returned to Virginia one by one. We even had our drought years of finding significant work. 

Your Dad molded my faith early on in High School and those two years we lived together in Virginia. In High School he set the standard to be a part of Young Life and commit a month to serving at one of its camps. I followed this model. I also observed his consistency reading the Bible and doing Bible studies with your Mom when they were dating. We prayed for each other quite often. There definitely were seasons of distance between us but we always returned to reconnecting.  

This is a huge thanks to your Dad from his little brother.

Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.