Happy Birthday, Little Bro!

Pumpkinman 2011 - Crossing the Finish Line

My younger brother celebrated a birthday this past week.  My sister gave him an awesome tribute on her blog.  I agree with everything she said, but wanted to add a couple of thoughts in tribute to one of the greatest men that I know.

The title of this post is actually a bit of a joke, because he hasn't actually been my "little" brother since the day I got home from my mission.  I remember getting off the plane and seeing this huge behemoth standing there that I barely recognized.  

My younger brother was no longer my "little" brother.  He had grown many inches while I was away and had obviously been putting in a lot of time in the weight room!

That first night back from my mission, my brother and I went down to the Stake Center to play a little basketball.  We played a game of one-on-one.  He gave me the ball to start the game.  I took two dribbles and pulled up for my patented mid-range jumper.  Then something happened that had never happened before...my "little" brother promptly blocked my shot!  

It was a nice slice of humble pie to receive and deep down I was really proud of him for having grown (literally) and developed so much.  (And not just as a basketball player either...)

As I recall, however, I went on to win that one-on-one game, but I've always looked up to him ever since.  And not just because he's now taller than I am.

He introduced me to triathlons

I'll always be grateful to him for getting on my case about getting regular exercise.  He is the reason I started doing triathlons.  And someday, I hope we get to finish a full Ironman together.  I'll need to really up my game to keep up with him though!

One anecdote about my brother.  He has always been really smart.  I remember as a kid we had a brain teaser game where you had to align this puzzle up in a certain way so that everything matched a series of numbers and shapes.  I was probably 8-10 at the time.  My brother would have been 5-7 years old.  I remember solving the puzzle and being so proud of myself because it was difficult and took some time to analyze and put together properly.

I remember giving it to my brother and he solved it in just a few minutes.  I remember being silently impressed and I've never forgotten that experience.

One of my brother's most impressive qualities, however, is that he has always had a heart of gold.  I remember talking with my mom about that one time when I was a young boy.  I've always wanted to be able to naturally care about people and be as generous as he always has been.  It's a wonderful gift to have a brother like him.  I'm blessed to have him not only as my brother but also as one of my best friends.

Happy Birthday, Little Bro!  I look forward to celebrating many more with you!