When our brother Pat suggested the six
brothers collaborate and write a book based on random recollections of our
experiences growing up, I wasn’t sure what to expect. And certainly didn’t
anticipate learning anything new about my brothers. When it was suggested that
we each write 10 stories, I thought that might be a stretch.
I wondered what the theme of
the book would become. Stories that poked fun at each other? Stories that
revealed a crazy sense of humor? Confessions of deeds better-kept secret? And
could we even come up with ten stories each? I assumed some of the stories
would include our parents but didn’t expect the level of respect and love for
them each brother went to great lengths to share. The book, and our lives, are
a true testament for just how special they were. Is it rare that we six are all
still friends and good friends at that? I may be biased but I think we are
genuinely good people. Our morals are solid. Our respect for God, family, and country
are unshakable. These attributes can be traced directly to how we were raised
by mom and dad.
Going into this project we
each thought we knew our brothers. I know I didn’t expect to learn anything
new. After all, being the oldest, I was
the only one who could claim that I was there for each of their entire lives……
As is often the case, how wrong I was. The ten-story goal did turn out to be a
challenge, but only because it was hard to decide which ten stories to share.
We have lived full lives for sure. And, admittedly, some stories are probably
not appropriate for a “family” book – those will have to wait for volume two.
We have led different lives and that is apparent in our writings, both style,
and content. But I think there is a commonality in our sharings, it's clear we
each have a love for family and each other.
One unexpected outcome from
this effort is a newfound desire to learn more about my brothers. I know there
is so much I missed, and these stories reveal glimpses of some pretty entertaining
guys. Unlike our friends, we don’t choose our brothers. In our case though, I
can’t imagine not having any of the five as my brothers. And I would also
choose each one of them as my friends. Sure, we still argue, and at times a
disagreement might create some distance, but it never lasts and that is the
beauty of being family.
I hope as you read through this compilation of happy, sad, embarrassing, thankful, blessed times of our lives, you will also get a glimpse of just what a great job Tom and Betty, our parents, did to set us on the right course. God truly blessed us.
Kevin
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