Today, is MBTD’s birthday.

As I thought about writing this post, I tried to come up with something funny and clever that would reflect the teasing and cynicism that’s inherent to the relationship of a brother and sister.

But I couldn’t.  The older I get, the more I realize that there’s nothing funny or cynical about my relationship with my brother.

Because true love?  Is not funny.  And it demands more respect that can be offered by sarcastic quips and cynical commentary.

The way I feel about him is true love in every sense of the word.

We are soul mates.

We belong together, so much so, in fact, that God chose to bind us by not only our hearts but our blood, as well.

On this, your thirty second birthday, dear brother, I will tell you (and the Internet!) some things I have neglected to say until now.

I will set aside the role of elder sibling and replace sarcasm with truth.  No jokes.  No teasing.  Because everybody deserves a little unadulterated truth on their birthday, at the very least.

You are caring, humble and wise.   You are loving, sensitive and kind.  At the same time, you are strong, unafraid and ambitious.  You are a rare combination of all the traits that make me proud to be a human being.

Sibling rivalry?

No.  I could not rival you.  I could not rival your utter endurance for life.  I cannot fathom the courage you have had to employ to become the person you are today.  You represent a personal standard of achievement in many ways for me.

At my absolute darkest moments, you are the person that I seek.  You are the one who I know, no matter what, will understand me.
At my most glorious moments, you are the person I call.  You are the one person who will truly appreciate the extent of my achievement.

And every day, though you are not here, I need only look into the mirror and see your eyes looking back at me.

At that moment, I know… you are here with me.  Always.

And?  Yes.  This is your present.