Happy Birthday to My Brother

Today, Saturday, December 6th would have been my brother Darryl's 41st birthday. It seems unimaginable to me that he has been gone for almost 15 years now. It just doesn't seem like it's been that long. I remember the last time I saw him. It was on Christmas day which was about 3 weeks before he died. When I think about it, I can picture his face very clearly opening a gift that my mother had given him.

I also replay the day that he died over and over in my mind. I remember every detail of that day leading up to the call telling me that my brother was dead. Numb is how I would describe the days following that day.....numb....for a long time after.

I think of him a lot. Whenever I see a really large and tall dark haired man, I still have to catch myself to remember that he couldn't be my brother. Songs by Lionel Richie remind me of him. The song Friends in Low Places reminds me of him and Dana singing karaoke and how happy they both were that night.

I often wonder what his life would have been like if he had grown older with the rest of his brothers and sisters. Would he have had children of his own? So many changes have taken place in our lives since, it's hard to imagine what could have been but it never stops me from thinking about it.

I love and miss him so much.