Chad

This is my little brother. I know he's bigger than me..but he's still my little brother. I used to be bigger than him. When we were kids we made up this game where we'd stand in the middle of a long tiled hallway of our home and lock fingers and then see who could push the other person to the end of the hallway. Whoever got their sibling's heels past the threshold of the carpet on either end of the hallway was declared the winner. We played it all the time and I won every single time....until the day I didn't. From then on Chad beat me every single time. I suppose that was the day my little brother became my big little brother. This photo of us is from just a few months ago. I love this photo of him so much and that we had it taken together, that I'm willing to post it even though it's not so great of me. He and his family, whom we all adore so much, came to visit for some snow play (see 2/5 post) and, though none of said it, to say "farewell for now". Last month he left for his third tour of duty in Iraq. Just like the other two times, I often have the sensation that there's just not quite enough air to breathe until I know he is home safe and sound. A month plus down, several to go. Come November he'll be home. Maybe at Thanksgiving, I'll challenge him to our old childhood game. And I'll lose again. I can hardly wait.