Yesterday’s challenge was about health, and I’d call it a partial success. I tried to eat better and came close to my goal of 25,000 steps. I probably should have made time to meditate, too. Health is an ongoing project, and apparently so am I.
Today I’m changing direction. For the next few days, I’m going to focus on family, starting with brothers. I picked today for a reason.
My brother Jeff would have turned 66 today. That number matters to me because 66 is how old my father was when he died. Jeff passed away in 2020, and I’ve written about him many times on this blog.
I grew up with two brothers in my adoptive family, Jeff and Matt. Later in life, I learned that I also have two biological brothers. That’s a different and complicated story, but one I’m grateful for. They’re my brothers, too, and the circumstances of how we came into each other’s lives don’t make those relationships any less important.
Jeff and Matt each got a little too much DNA on their ninth chromosome, resulting in physical and intellectual disabilities. At first glance, you might look at them and think about how limited their lives must be. At second glance, you realize how much they have to teach us about gratitude. They don’t spend their lives worrying about what others have that they don’t. They’re simply happy with what they have.
Neither would have been particularly troubled when Outlook stopped working Thursday or the airlines were grounded Friday. A football game starting late wouldn’t have mattered. Give them a comfortable place to live, something to eat, clothes to wear, and some good music, and life was pretty good. There’s something to be learned from that.
I’ve spent two weeks working at gratitude. They never needed the practice.
I miss Jeff, but I’m grateful I got to be his brother. And I’m grateful for Matt and for the two brothers I came to know later in life. Family doesn’t always come together in the ways we expect, but that doesn’t make it any less meaningful.
Tonight, take a few minutes to journal about the brothers in your life and what you’re grateful for. If you don’t have brothers, think about someone who has taught you something about appreciating what you have. What can you learn from them?
