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Yesterday would have been my brother Donnie’s 38th birthday. I miss him fiercely. <\/p>\nYesterday would have been my brother Donnie’s 38th birthday. I miss him fiercely. <\/p>\n
He was many wonderful things to many people and brightened others’ lives in many ways, and one of the things he did was play classical guitar. He had just taken a break from earning his doctorate at The University of Memphis when he died. He made beautiful music. There are lots of pictures of him at recitals, all decked out in a tux. But this battered old one here, which I just scanned after I pulled it out of its frame, has always been my favorite. It’s a picture of him that someone snapped probably without him knowing it. He’s playing on the back deck of the little house we lived in when we were in high school. Bless my soul and<\/em> yours, too, wasn’t he handsome? <\/p>\n This poem has always made me think of the way he played. I think I’ve shared it before here—maybe possibly perhaps—but it’s a beautiful piece of writing, always worth sharing again: <\/p>\n “The Guitarist Tunes Up” by Frances Darwin Cornford <\/p>\n With what attentive courtesy he bent And, because we should always always<\/em> focus on the living, let me also share that it’s my brother Steve’s birthday today<\/em>. He is also a wonderful human being, one of the most devoted people I know. I can’t find a poem that does justice to how I feel about him. I’ll have to work on that. But for now, I’ll share this picture of him from when he was little. Good thing he doesn’t read my blog (I think??), ’cause he might kill me for this. YIKES. I take my chances. Life is short; I’ll live a little here. <\/p>\n This picture (circa 1973) cracks. me. up. so. hard. that it makes me want to fall on the floor, snort a lot, slap the floor a few times, flail about a bit more, and then I think I might have heart failure. I even framed it and see it daily, but it STILL MAKES ME LAUGH EVERY DAY. It will never cease being funny in my world, will never get old to me. See how cool this little guy is with that toy? He is unstoppable. He is a tremendous bad-ass, my friends. <\/p>\n I’m not terribly religious but have always felt terrifically blessed to have had them as older brothers. Like some higher something-or-other power was perhaps looking out for me or maybe I did something particularly great in a past life, if such things occur. Really, a girl couldn’t get any luckier. They set my standards for how men should behave in this world. And those standards are high. <\/p>\n Happy birthday to them both. <\/p>\n
\nOver his instrument;
\nNot as a lordly conquerer who could
\nCommand both wire and wood,
\nBut as a man with a loved woman might,
\nInquiring with delight
\nWhat slight essential things she had to say
\nBefore they started, he and she, to play.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/p>\n