Carry On Wayward Son

Many people have heard me talk about my brother Jeff, and how when he was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident, it changed my life forever, it changed MANY lives forever. But not today, today I don’t want to talk about his death…  As today would have been his 43rd birthday, I want to talk about how he LIVED.


On a daily basis, I think about my brother Jeff. He was larger than life. Absolutely without a doubt, the most hilarious person ever to walk this earth (my brother Derek comes next…then ME of course, quite the sibling trio....bahaaa) He could make a joke out of ANY situation and have a whole room in tears doubled over laughing within seconds… He was SMART. The kind of deep thinking and intellect that makes your brain hurt..hahaa.. He was great looking… I did not like or approve of any female he ever dated..hahaha EXCEPT Shera of course!  He was my hero, and me and Jeff, well, we were going to win star search with our dance to “Boys of Summer” by Don Henley complete with a Johnny & Baby type lift at the end…hahaa. He was a protector, you mess with him, his family (particularly his lil sis haha), or friends…and you’d see a temper and fighter erupt like no other. He loved to SING…and he was HORRIBLE at it..LOL…omg my ears will NEVER ever forget his impersonations of Axle Rose… He loved volleyball and horseshoes, fishing, being outside… He was a great cook, who made the best fried squash and grilled chicken EVER!  He was a Momma’s boy who lived to impress and make his Dad proud. He loved horses, training them, and betting on them too.. He was a dreamer, a great friend, and had a special determination and perseverance about him, that’s what made him someone you would never want to fight, because he may not have been the biggest or strongest, but he was a tad crazy and would just flat out NEVER QUIT. What stands out most to me about my brother was witnessing him as a parent. He was an amazing father. He absolutely adored his son, I will never forget seeing him just sobbing in tears when JJ was born, and how he was so hands-on with him. His eyes were constantly lit up when they were together. So many memories, conversations and songs are flooding my mind today, and I’m so thankful for each and every one…all those summer trips to sonic in a super-cool chevy nova, with Kansas blaring through the cassette player, the dimple in my chin that looks just like his, the laughs, being the “lil sister’ who somehow was always the shoulder to cry on….. I wouldn’t change that for the world.


And if I could talk to him today, I’d simply tell him this:


You did not fail. You very much succeed every single day, and because of who you were, the good AND the bad, I’m a better person for it, and so are countless others, and I love you very much.


“Carry on my wayward son, there will be peace when you are done, lay your weary head to rest..don’t you cry no more”
-Kansas