Vespers

I always assumed, as one of the oldest of my siblings, that most of them would outlive me. But I lost one brother in 2001 when he was only 23. And now another, at 48. I have good memories from when we were young. A mishievous, adventurous soul, he was generally hell-bent on defying all authority. His was a troubled life and his passing grieves me. I wish it could have been easier for him. But it was not, ever. And now I can only take comfort in the knowledge that he was loved by many of us in the family and by hs wife, who I am grateful to be getting to know now. Rest peacefully, little brother - your sorrows are behind you.

"Mine has a hood and I lie in bed
And I pull the hood right over my head,
And I shut my eyes and I curl up small
And nobody knows that I'm there at all."
- A. A. Milne