It's a much better birthday than last year...but that isn't too difficult.
Today is also my brother's birthday. No, we are not twins, I just had to make sure that he didn't get his own day.
On the morning of Robbie's fourth birthday, my mom hurriedly stuck some suckers into a cake to act as candles as she strived to give her boy a birthday celebration before heading to the hospital due to some strong contractions.That afternoon I made my big debut.
Robbie was always gracious to share his birthday with me. Infact, when we were younger, I felt that our sharing a birthday gave us a special bond.
Growing up, my brother was labeled as "difficult". Having children of my own, I now understand more that he was misunderstood and instead of mercy, was given a lot of justice. He was high spirited, highly sensitive and seeking love and acceptance. He had a strength, he understood people. With that strength, he knew exactly what to say to upset people....and I often found myself as his victim. He knew how to upset me tremendously, and I spent many times being frustrated and upset at him........but, he also knew how to connect with people, knew how to make them feel special - and he made me feel special.
When I was younger, I had explosive anger, and Robbie knew how to push me to it. I once kicked a hole into my bedroom door because I was so upset with him. But, as terrible as it was at the time, because of Robbie I learned and mastered self-control - something that has helped me more in my life as a woman, a runner, a wife, and most importantly, a mother. Now, as weird as it may be, I am grateful for the teasing, for it helped me in the long run.
We grew up in smaller community, one which was wonderful, but like most small communities, it can be difficult to proove that you have changed. To some people, memories of Robbie may not be pleasant, but he has become more than pleasant.
As a brother, he is very protective and caring of me. He has always been trying to meet my needs, or at least be sensitive to them. When we had Mikey, and then Roger, there is no way we would've been able to afford all the hand-me-downs and gifts that Robbie gave us. Not only did he give me all of his son's hand-me-down clothes for the first 6 years of my boys' lives, he also gave me a car seat, a bike carriage, a bouncer, and purchased for me a brand new double stroller!!! He did all this not for attention or appreciation, but because he wanted to help.
Robbie is incredibly generous, almost to a fault. He has given me, and those that he loves, many things. The last time I visited him, he was very accommodating, frequently offering to watch my boys (Todd wasn't with me) so I could get a break, and even sacrificed so that I could get a massage.
Robbie is a great connector. He knows how to ask questions and to interact with people that make them feel comfortable and valuable. His manners are amazing, and he is sincere with his interest in people. When Todd and I first were married, I was very grateful for how he quickly welcomed Todd into the family and strived to make him feel comfortable.
Robbie has always been very athletic. He was the star of his high school basketball team, was named All-state. He was a very fast runner. When he was about 12 years old, he went to Nationals with the Hershey Track program and got 3rd place in the 200 m run.
Robbie loves exotic things. He lived in Costa Rica, and currently lives in a resort-style area in Mexico. He has owned many sports cars. And he is currently engaged to a woman from Turkey.
Robbie has two kids, Robert and Emma. He is a very doting father. I love listening to his conversations with his kids for you can tell he enjoys his kids.
Robbie loves nick-names. When he was in high school, he gave himself the nickname of "Radr" - he figured if people are going to call you by a nick-name, you may as well come up with it yourself. He always calls me "Little-Sis". He use to call Mikey "Orphan Mike" claiming that Todd and I neglected Mikey. That nick-name stopped almost immediately when Todd came back with, "How's Mogoli doing?" refering to Robbie's son Robert who frequently ran around with a very messy face and in underwear.
Robbie is a great, considerate, sensitive, loving brother. I am grateful that I get to share my birthday with him.
2 comments:
Lovely!!
Lovely!!
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