My Brother Joe

"A friend is a brother who was once a bother" ~Author Unknown

My brother Joe is a probably one of the most unique individuals you will ever meet. He is unique in the sense that he is who he is and he makes no bones about it. For those that know him well knows that he has a nickname for everyone (little, pops, moms, c, d, slats); he continues to carry out every tradition from his childhood; eats ice cream from the container (and leaves the spoon in there when finished); calls my mom and dad often to talk about the weather, Carolina games or even what they are having for dinner that night; he is notorious for his gaseous conditions; he has a bad habit of trying to do everything at one time and he loves to "taste" everyone else's food at the dinner table. Joe is unique alright.

But Joe is unique in other ways too. You see Joe is two years younger than I am and while we were younger I always felt like the big sister. However as we have grown older....the roles have shifted and I have now looked to Joe as my big brother. He has matured into such a loving individual. Not that Joe was not loving and giving as a child, but when you are a kid....you don't easily recognize those traits!


Joe is a giver, has always been. He is always willing to share anything that he has and if he doesn't have it....he will find it and give it to you. A story that is rarely told but I find compelled to tell it here is one that my youngest brother told of Joe on a trip out west years ago. Mike was staying in San Francisco with Joe while doing an internship for a week. While coming back one night over the Golden Gate Bridge it was rainy and cold. As they drove a long, they passed a man who was shirtless. Mike said that Joe slowly pulled the car over and ran over to the guy pulled off his own shirt and put it on over onto the man who was walking. Joe hopped back into the car and not another word was said. That is just Joe. He never does anything to grab attention or to gain brownie points.....he just "does".

Each day, Joe walks around with a rosary in his pocket. He never says a cuss word. He calls my father faithfully every Sunday morning and he is a pillar in each of his siblings lives....not to mention an adoring husband. I have never met anyone like Joe before and I truly believe he is the most giving person I have ever met in my life (and I am not just saying that because he is my brother). If we all took just a quarter of the care that Joe puts into others.....the world might just be a little lighter. And I believe God would be at peace. I look forward to watching Joe move into fatherhood someday because I know he will instill within his own children all of this warm and sincere traits that he carries with him each and everyday.







I love you Joe!