Brother's Birthday

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Today my brother, Zarone, celebrates another birthday. I live in Albany Georgia and he lives in Spanaway Washington. We live so far apart, yet share a special bond. He is 17 months older than me. He guided me through my hard teen years. I was awkward and shy and had a hard time with homework.

I don't think anyone could ask for a better brother. When we were children he made up games for us to play. He could take a piece of cardboard and create a board game in no time at all. He always spent time with me and my sister. Sometimes that time was spent beating our dolls up, but you know how brothers can be.

Sometimes when we were children we fought and argued. Mama discovered that the worst punishment for me was to sit us opposite each other. I could not look at my brother without laughing. Him grinning or wiggling his ears didn't help.

I can remember being about four years old rocking in a chair with him in front of the warm fireplace. It was such a comfortable feeling.

Here is a picture of Zarone and me taken last June when Frank I went on our long vacation. You can see why I had such a hard time sitting opposite him :-)


Zarone and I shared a bed when we were very small and even a bathtub. We've sat side-by-side many a time.... sometimes giving each other's arm a hard nudge after whatever shot that was they gave us in school. We've laughed together and cried together. We are more than siblings... we are a brother and a sister.

Happy Birthday Zarone!

In case you missed the story of our names; go here.

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Update on Frank --

Yesterday the doctor 'milked' the drain tube and fluid is flowing again. So a good thing the doctor left the drain in. The doctor showed me how to 'milk' the drain. I wish my hands were 20 years younger... they worked a lot better back then. Poor Frank today. The tube gets taped to his body to keep the bulb from pulling on the stitch that hold the tube in Frank's body. Today I needed to change that tape. My hands would not work today. I spilled the solution that I used to clean around the tube at Frank's body..... not once, but twice. I could barely cut the tape. He has to lie on the bed for me to do change this out... which entails removing the old tape... a lot of tape. A piece of gauze tape is placed on his body. Then I have to butterfly a piece of tape around the tube and stick that to the tape on his body.... more tape holding the butterfly on to the other tape... sounds easy, but not for me. It is torture for him to lie on the bed. We are hoping that the drain comes out next Tuesday.

My Mama told me a few weeks ago that hoping is just a another word for praying. I think she is right.

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I don't believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at. -- Maya Angelou