Thanks, Wendy. Even though it has been over twenty years, I still
appreciate the kind words of others where my brothers are concerned.

When I was 19, my 17 year old brother and my 21 year old brother died in a
drunk driving accident. There were only the three of use coming up and I
was suddenly left all alone. Because we lived overseas during much of my
teenage years and moved frequently, I was unusually close to my brothers.
It was painful.

About six years after they died, my son was born. He is named Brian Michael
after both of my brothers in the Jewish tradition in naming babies to
perpetuate the dead. It was when Brian was born that real healing began.
As Carl Sandberg said, "A baby is God's opinion that the world should go
on."

It was also after my son was born that I began to have an appreciation for
what my parents went through. They are still so very much in love. Now, I
understand how challenged they were.

Life does suck sometimes. After having been a nurse for so many years, I
can honestly say I would rather lose a loved one to death rather than a
persistive vegetative state like your cousin. And yet, every morning I wake
up with the belief that I can make my life better.

Was it Nietzsche who said, "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger"?

Thank you again for your kind words. No, I do not have brothers to spare.
The hole in my life that my only two siblings left when they died is still
there. I visit with them in my dreams. I see them in my son who is their
namesake although I was adopted and there is no genetic link. It was my big
brother who taught me how to write and my little brother who taught me how
to be social. Both of those lessons keep me afloat today.

I feel good remembering them.

j


"Dally" > wrote in message
...
> Julianne wrote:
>
> > Having said both things, drunk driving (a national past time to which I
lost
> > two brothers in one night)
>
> Julianne, that's horrible! (You said it so flippantly, like you had
> brothers to spare, that I almost missed it.) I'm so sorry your family
> had to go through this. Was it very long ago?
>
> I lost two cousins to drunk driving when we were children. One was
> killed instantly, the other was severely brain-damaged and is still
> alive... but the person he was is gone. The drunk-driver, my Aunt's
> ex-husband (their father) got a broken knee. Life sucks sometimes.
>
> Dally
>