Siblings...

I have a younger brother.. Well, actually I also have an older half sister, who  I didn't get to meet until I was in my 50's. She is from my father's first marriage.

But my brother and I were raised together... I am 4 years older than he is.

We  were the usual siblings.. Fought like cats and dogs as we grew up, yet I was protective of him.  From time to time, protecting him from the sadder side of life in our family.  Even bullies that followed him from school.. It was the old saying.. I can beat up my kid brother, but don't you touch a hair on that kid's head.  I can remember him telling some bully,  "wait until my big sister hears about you!"  You will see..

I left home at 17 after I graduated from school. Went to Florida to

watch over my grandfather, until my mother found a friend to do it.

I head to San Diego, California, where my aunt who was like a mom to me..lived..  Got married and had a couple of kids, when my kid brother was sent out to me by my parents... He was suppose to go in the Army, but I put him back in high school.  That is where he met the parent sister.. lol... He ended up moving back home, and got married, himself.

I moved my family back to R.I. for 4 years.. and had a great relationship with him and his family.. And then I moved back West, as my husband was in pain everytime it rained.. and R.I. had a lot more than Idaho did.

The years passed along with our parents.. and our relationship got rocky for a while. But the past couple of years  it has been on firmer ground.  I would write in my birthday card to him, what was going on with my life as I got older, so he would have a clue of what was up.. also telling him getting old was not so bad as we had heard.. Kind of being the big sister still, protecting..

Now my brother has some serious health issues. I have started to

call more often.. and find myself, I wishing I could still protect him

from the holes in life.. Guess one never gets over being a big sister.