Day 153

Today is May 24th, the birthday of my only brother, my only sibling for that matter. Not only is he my brother – he is my best friend in the world. Matt turns 33 today and this turns the page on another rough year for him. For those of you who didn’t know, Matt is now divorced and this weekend his kids are moving to Indianapolis with their mother. So this is a very bittersweet birthday for him. Everyone who knows and loves Matt, make sure you keep him in your thoughts this weekend. No time in his life will ever be this hard, and he has been through some hard times in the last couple of years. Things in his life are only going to get better over time, but sometimes you have to go through a struggle to get to where you want to be in life. I can say with first hand knowledge that the personal growth in Matt as a man and a father have been dramatic. I know I stated this after I saw him in action at Jace’s birthday, but it bears repeating. He is more calm, wiser, and has a sense of what is real and important to him now. I literally could not be more proud to say he is my brother.

It breaks my heart that I cannot be there with him this weekend, but in true (I wont mention her name) fashion, the kids move happens to be the same weekend as Jessica’s wedding, therefore Leah, my mom, and I all cannot drive with him to Indy or be with him for this toughest of times. It breaks my heart more than you all can imagine that I cannot be with him for this. Matt has always been my #1 supporter no matter what I was going through in my life. When I was down and out, Matt always told me I could succeed and do whatever I wanted in life. Everyone should be as lucky as I am to have such a close relationship with their sibling. I am writing this as I am flying out to Arizona and I have a lump in my throat just thinking about all of this. I wish I could be there with him in the worst way. And I know if Dad were here today, he would be so proud of you. He is looking down on us with a smile. I love you Deez – stay strong.

Song of the Day: “They Reminisce Over You" by Pete Rock and CL Smooth