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Spirit Matters: Honoring life when your baby brother turns 50 · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Spirit Matters. Honoring life when your baby brother turns fifty. Written by
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  Gerilyn Zavada Novak and Spirit Matters. This article is being read by
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  an automated voice, brought to you by Everlit. This weekend our baby
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  brother turns fifty. That means until May all six of us will
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  be in our fifties. When I allow myself to stop and think
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  about that, it is inconceivable how our lives seem to pass so
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  quickly. I was four years old when my mom and dad brought
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  my brother home. He had a big, pudgy, squeezable face, and I
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  remembered doting over him like crazy. All of us did. It doesn't
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  feel like yesterday, but it also certainly doesn't feel like fifty years
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  ago either. As the youngest, of six he certainly bore, and continues
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  to bear, the brunt of sibling teasing. Even without being the youngest,
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  his personality lends itself to good natured provoking. On the other hand,
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  as the youngest, he will always and forever be our mom's baby,
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  no matter how old he gets. I'll just say it right now.
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  Making him the subject of this week's column is not gonna go
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  well for me. That's okay. I grew up in the middle of
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  four brothers. I can handle it. Actually my two longer brothers and
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  I were close when we were kids and young adults. They were
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  the obvious pick to walk me down the aisle when I got
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  married in 2023, since my dad is no longer with us. Even
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  the as we were preparing to take the first step, the were
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  arguing over the proper way to hold my arms. One had his
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  arm holding mine from the top, the other had his arm holding
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  mine from the bottom. I was too focused on making it down
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  the aisle in one piece to notice or care. The photo of
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  us before the altar is a real treasure, let me tell you.
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  Looking at It from hindsight, all I can do is put my
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  face in my palm. He probably wouldn't want this to get out,
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  but I am told he had tears in his eyes that day,
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  as Scott and I got married. It doesn't really surprise me though.
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  He has and always has had a big heart, although he keeps
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  it under wraps now, much more than when he was younger. His
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  big heart is the nexus for all of his quirks. Get him
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  laughing As
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  only he can, and he, won't stop. Needle him about one of
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  his many pet peeves, and he will get so worked up you
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  can't help but laugh. Make fun of his dogs, and he will
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  make empty threats about that harming you. As he has approached middle
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  age, he, like many of us, has become understandably less tolerant of
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  all the noise and nonsense everywhere, all the time. He is content
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  sitting in his recliner, remote control in hand, and enjoying the relative
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  peace and quiet of his little castle, with his wife and two
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  dogs. Growing up in a large family is a gift, just as
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  much as it can be a challenge. It is the first and
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  lifelong school for learning the art of navigating completely different personalities. Even
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  as you will inevitably be the subject of merciless teasing, you also
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  learn how to and it back with penash. Sometimes you might fight
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  like cats and dogs. Other times, they will be the only ones
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  who get it and stick around when life goes south. Through it
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  all, you carry a bond that has been formed and solidified by
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  growing up with each other, learning each other's foibles and witnessing each
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  other in the best and worst of times. Even should you be
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  separated by time or distance, it can be comforting growing there are
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  at least a few others out there in this wild world who
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  share your DNA and a good part of your history. I cannot
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  believe my baby brother is turning fifty years old this weekend. But
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  I am also beyond grateful that we are all still here to
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  mark the occasion. Life goes fast and it is only going faster
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  and growing shorter each day. Celebrating the life of those who have
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  been there throughout is a unique gift and a treasured blessing. Spirit
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  Matters is a weekly column by Gerilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences
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  common to the human spirit. Contact her at jazzblue33 at yahoo.com.