Remembering My Brother...

Thursday is my brother Darin's birthday. I miss him very much. I worried that over time I'd forget his mannerisms, his smile, laugh and the quirky things that made him who he was. As I read through a family book my parents gave us, I realized I hadn't forgotten. In fact, as I think about him it makes me smile remembering the nicknames he gave to all of us, especially his smile and laugh. He was the 2nd child born to our large family of 10 kids. Some of the things I remember most about him are...
*he loved to work on cars, it was him. He could see a porche in an old beater.
*I loved to hear him speak in Swedish.
*I loved hanging out with him, always make me laugh.
*I loved that I did the paper route with him at 3 in the morning...lots of talk time. Not that i loved it as a job, but now I treasure that time with my brother.
*He loved Chevy's, country music, his Trans Am, Taco Bell burritos and AZ warm sun.
*He ran the St. George Marathon with my dad and he placed 7th in his age division.
*He loved his family. He was married in the AZ Temple to an incredible woman. I know he loved playing with his boys. If he could have he would have stayed home and played with them all day, never having to go off to work.

He wasn't perfect, he had his own flaws; but don't we all? I do miss him. He was 30 years young when he died in a freak accident on May 19th the year my 1st son was born. At that time I wished more than anything that I could take his place so he could raise his boys. It broke my heart to see them without a daddy.
My sister-in-law, Joni, has done a remarkable job holding them together. I can't imagine that any part of it has been easy as she remarried some time later and then lost her second husband to cancer 2 years ago. I have never seen a stronger woman. I love her for what she has done to care for her boys. They are an amazing bunch!

This was the last visit to Darin's grave in AZ, 2 years ago.

This is his youngest son who was only 6 months old when Darin died. I can't wait for the day he can meet his dad and know that he has been watching over them all along. I think they will be amazed how well they know him when they see him face to face.

Maybe this is why I've felt so blue that last few days. They say time heals all wounds, but they forget to mention the scars that are left when the healing has taken place; thus we never forget. I love you Darin.