{"id":5635,"date":"2014-05-02T09:37:47","date_gmt":"2014-05-02T13:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5635"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:14:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:14:19","slug":"a-brother-is-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5635","title":{"rendered":"A Brother is Forever (by Dogwood)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0<\/span>Ben’s reflections as a brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K (550 words)
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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0A Brother is Forever<\/strong><\/div>\n
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No matter the time or the space my brother is part of me forever.\u00a0<\/strong> Many years have passed and I can still envision the early years of being together.\u00a0 We were definitely different in our likes but there was always closeness like a river to the riverbed, the sun to the moon, night to day.Time has passed but the joy has lasted far beyond the season of memories one would think would diminish as the extinguishing of a candle.\u00a0 We grew and thought we\u2019d always be the same as we prepared our lives for unforeseen circumstances.<\/p>\n

I enjoyed the days we spent until without the blinking of an eye I realized without doubt that my life would never be the same.\u00a0 Without ever knowing how it snuck in like a thief in the night, my life became a smoldering of embers of loss that resembled hillsides once filled with lush trees and valleys of wildflowers that became smoldering ashes.\u00a0 Time has passed and the ashes are now cold but still very real.<\/p>\n

I remember vividly my feelings on the day I realized I lost my brother, my friend, my ally, my confidant from our earthly walk together.\u00a0 It\u2019s taken time for this fog of reality to settle in \u2013 but it has.\u00a0 It has, but not without the pain of seeing him in the simplest of things.\u00a0 Each day brought a new pain and thus was my life for many a season.<\/p>\n

Life brings with it the unexpected – and the unexpected happens as we move on and least expect it.\u00a0 Without knowing when or why, I was able to find joy once again living each day with the absence of my brother.\u00a0 As I sit here in the comfort of this chair next to the hearth, I realize that was a moment and a sign of renewal that has become part of me.<\/p>\n

I look around at the vast pines and mountains knowing I\u2019ve been given a spark of life that has only grown.\u00a0 My days now are filled with life and greater understanding of its measure \u2026 of purpose and meaning.\u00a0 I feel the tug of the past but refuse to be pulled back into a time and place that cannot support what life has given me.<\/p>\n

I am whole again and can appreciate the lessons that I\u2019ve learned.\u00a0 From this experience I\u2019ve received gifts of friendship, books, music, nature and healing.\u00a0 I no longer fear a life of suffering that I would have avoided at all costs.\u00a0 The tears of the past have dried and I now can enjoy the smiles of those who surround me.\u00a0 There are times the memory of that loss returns but the heaviness has lifted.\u00a0 And so it is these twenty years later.<\/p>\n

Life\u2019s lessons can be hard at times but have a purpose.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry that Adam, Hoss and Joe will never know their uncle and my brother the way I did.\u00a0 He would have been proud of my sons \u2013 his nephews.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The End ……<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Disclaimer:<\/span>\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0Ben’s reflections as a brother.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K (550 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":177,"featured_media":3737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1004,23,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ben-cartwright","category-drama","category-short-stories","wpcat-1004-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-8-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1554,"today_views":1},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ben.jpg?fit=264%2C281&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7172,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7172","url_meta":{"origin":5635,"position":0},"title":"By The Lake (by Rona)","author":"Rona","date":"August 7, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0The aftermath of an argument sees Joe and Adam trying to mend fences.\u00a0 Rated:\u00a0 K+ \u00a0\u00a0 (730 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Friendship-4.jpg?fit=500%2C373&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7623,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7623","url_meta":{"origin":5635,"position":1},"title":"Seeing An Angel (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0A girl from Marie\u2019s past has something for Little Joe. 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