The man I strive to be like

[Krogen]

A wonderful tribute to your brother, lihpster. It is clear to me from your post, that you are indeed the man your brother was.

To the rest of you sharing stories of brothers passed, my heart goes out to you. I still have my own brother, but he's older than I. I expect one day, I'll be missing him as you are yours. I need to call him, soon.

I'm going to pour myself a bourbon in honor of our brothers, living and departed.

 

[jeffrefrig]

That reminds me of my relationship with my little sister. We were pretty close; very intelligent girl, but…even the best of us can get caught in the trap.
Lihpster it sounds like good memories for you of your brother. I never had a brother, just sisters. Two outta four left. They can't take our memories from us!

 

[walkin jack]

My brother had a daughter from his first marriage. His second wife had two sons that he formally adopted. I thought of this:

Brad Paisley - He Didn't Have To Be - YouTube

That one made my skin tingle. I expect to be able to swallow again in a little while....

 

[bigmtnman]

I will definitely raise a glass to Doug. I have two younger brothers still here. We are all in our 70's now and have always been in close and regular contact. I can only hope to be more like either one of them. I like to think that they are both better men for learning "what NOT to do" from MY mistakes as they watched "from behind". We can talk for hours (and do) about all our boyhood adventures and family memories.
I'm sure I can feel what you got from those long talks with your brother Doug. It's a gift to have a brother as a best friend ..... Here's to Doug !

 

[walkin jack]

A touching tribute. I am hoisting a proper pint in honor of Doug as I type this.

I lost my brother, Dave, a little over four years ago to liver and colon cancers.

I don't have to try hard to be like him as we both had nearly identical wiring harnesses. Near twins separated by six years. He was one of the quickest wits I have ever encountered. We were golf partners in a beer league. While our opponents were laughing we would quietly putt out. I truly miss him.

Rusty, one look at that pic of Dave and you can see the humor, personality, and wit. And if I'm not mistaken, a wee bit of mischief is in there too.

 

[KalamazooKid]

Be thankful (as I know you are Rusty) you had those relationships and memories. I now have only memories. [emoji22]