Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Tour of America Postponed

Now there's a surprise. The organizers had their booth across from ours at Interbike. I have seen better booths at 5th grade science fairs (because I have been to a lot of those)

Their booth that is, not ours.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Of course your booth was better. It had your personal G.I. Joe, Star Wars, and Night Rider action figure collection on display. If that were not enough (of course not, enough is never enough) you were dressed like Fred Sanford's pimp nephew with your Sharkskin suit and fedora with full plumage. Of course the eel skin Tony Lama boots were a bit much...

1:01 PM
seawolf said...

Having a younger brother is a pain at times. Like when he intentionally provokes a fight and then runs to you for protection. Or when you want to wear a special shirt only to find that he already has it on. Then there are the times when you would not know what to do if you did not have a brother to share those special moments with, such as the best man at your wedding (even if we didn't know the meaning of “basic black”).

Stuart and I shared a basic childhood, with the normal bickering that two boys have. We shared the same toys, clothes, interests in sports, television programs and the warmth of family and friends. We both could have done better in school, but we always had better things to do than study (which was a constant source of irritation to our mother). We took divergent paths in our adult lives, but in the end, we were both successful in our own ways.

One of our sisters asked me to speak at the memorial service held in Ohio. I thought long and hard of what I could say that would encompass the years that we had spent together and apart. The only thing I could think of was, when it came time to plan my wedding, the only person that I wanted as my best man, was my brother. I insisted that he be a part of that special day. The years we had spent apart meant nothing. Of all the people that have been a part of my life, his presence meant the most. I spoke of it at the service and somehow, it didn't seem like it was enough.

After the service, one of Stuart's friends asked the question “How would you describe your brother?” It took a few moments, but then it came to me; Stuart was a weed. Not just any weed, but a beautiful, all encompassing plant that would find a way to enter your life and enhance every experience you had from that moment forward and in some cases, make you reflect on a past experience. A weed that you could not escape, not that you would want to, for Stuart had way of looking at life that was different from our own. A weed, that thrived in many different soils and environments. A weed that took on a life of its own, even after the main plant had been transplanted to a new location. A weed that made you take stock of the normal or mundane trappings of life and find the joy and beauty in each and every experienc

Even with his death, Stuart is making us look at the way we have spent our lives. In reality, we will never be without him. With every cyclist that whizzes by us at breakneck speed; every backpacker that passes us on the trail; every steadfast friend that comes to our aid without expecting anything in return, Stuart will be with us. Every time we hear a certain song, we have an especially good cup of coffee, we feel the warmth of a campfire on a cool night, or we see a person in uniform standing straight and tall, Stuart will be with us.

I cannot regain the time that was spent apart from Stuart, but I can remember with great fondness and joy the times that we spent together and remember that he never said good-bye, only so long.

So long, my brother. I will see you around the next bend in the trail.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all my co-workers at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Los Angeles for their expressions of condolence and support during my absence. To the friends that attended the memorial services in Albuquerque, Columbus or Oakland, your love and support have been a source of great comfort to me and my family. To all the friends and family that have taken the time to share there stories of times spent with Stuart, I thank you. I have read and enjoyed each and every memory shared. With every entry, I have come to realize what an amazing person my brother was and how many lives he touched.

1:09 PM

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