I returned to Florida yesterday after a whirlwind trip to the Northeast.  My younger nephew graduated high school Monday night.  Way to go, J!

Often when I make a trip up home, I pack in a lot of shorter visits with various friends.  Here's my itinerary.  I landed Saturday around noon and had lunch with close friend Beth Ciotta.  Saturday night, I drove up to Monmouth County and hooked up with long time friends Robin, Lori and Terri.  When I say long time friends, I'm talking as far back as college.  Robin and I both went to Monmouth University.  I met Lori through my rock and roll partying days in Asbury Park.  Terri worked for the newspaper that owned the radio station Robin and I worked at out of college.  As you can see, we're pretty interconnected.

We drove around Asbury Park which was teetering on the edge of complete ruin when I lived there in the 80s.  Over the last year or so, it has begun to experience a tremendous resuscitation and revival.  Old buildings renovated, new, trendy restaurants installed.  New townhomes and condos built.  All I can say is, "Wow!"  

We stopped by the Wonderbar to see Lori's brother Lance Larson -- a legendary rock 'n roller from the Jersey Shore music scene.  (I blogged about him a few months ago.)   After checking out the bar and having Lance fill us in on future plans, we walked across the street to the boardwalk and a restaurant that used to be the old Howard Johnson's.  Now it's an upscale "beach cafe" serving kobe beef and lobster mac and cheese.  What a terrific way to spend the evening -- old friends, good food, and happy memories.

I spent the night at another friend's house -- Jennifer Wagner.  The following day, Jen, her mother Lyn, and I hooked up with still more friends for a pleasant afternoon. 

Tired yet?

After saying goodbye to my friends, I drove over to PA to stay with my family.  We spent a fairly quiet night on Sunday.  Monday, I ran out to do errands with my sister-in-law and older nephew.  We hooked up with the grad-to-be for a delicious lunch.  Then, that night, we were joined by s-i-l's family for the graduation ceremony.

Anybody would expect that by Tuesday, I'd be ready to relax, but this was only a short vacation and I had to fly home.  Sis-in-law and the boys left the house by 6 am to take one nephew to the airport and the other to his camp counseling job.   This left my brother and me at home for a little while before he needed to leave for work and I had to hit the road for the airport.

We sat at the kitchen table with our coffee and tea and quietly talked.    He caught me up about his job.  I told him a couple of work-related stories.  There wasn't anything particularly deep or exciting in the conversation, but it didn't matter.  The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable; the energy calm.  With nothing all that important to say, the moments meant a lot.  Both our parents are gone, and we are the only immediate members of our mutual "family of origin" left for each other.

I love him a lot and cherish our relationship.  It wasn't always this way.  When we were kids we fought so frequently.  For a time when I was in high school and he in college, we had bouts when we were out and out nasty to each other.  I remember Mom looking at us once in complete despair, pleading, "You're brother and sister.  Can't you at least try to be nice to each other?"

Our relationship began to change after I got out of high school.  In the years wayyyyy before email, text messaging and cell phones, we'd write letters to each other.  Sometime along the way, we not only repaired and strengthened our relationship as siblings, but we also became friends.  Good friends.

Through the decades now of our adulthood, we've been there for each other through adversity, through the loss of first our father almost 25 years ago, and then Mom's illness and passing in '98.

We've shared joy in his marriage and his children.   I've benefited from his wisdom more times than I can count.  He's given me pep talks, advice and, most important of all, he gives me a family.

The other morning, he stood up to take their dog for a short walk before getting ready to leave.  Something outside the window caught his eye and he beckoned me over.

"Come here, Sis.  Look at this."

On the short wall around his deck sat a pretty dove.  We've probably seen a couple of thousand in our lives but right then, it was more than a bird on a wall.

It was another sweet moment shared with my big brother.

 

Sounds like you have a wonderful relationship with your brother. I wonder if being so at odds when you were kids has something to do with how close you are as adults. I have a big-litle brother (he's younger but towers over me) as well. We fought like cats and dogs when we were younger. Something happened when we hit our early 20's and we became good friends.