Be a better sister, daughter, friend, person

I was talking to my brother last week. I rarely talk to him because of our schedules and we usually are informed of each other’s lives through random texts. I had a nice conversation with him, just plain bs-ing. He calls me the next day and leaves me a message and says that he’s been thinking about me since and something sounded off in my voice. I called him as I was leaving work, and suddenly start crying. The tears caught me off guard, because I didn’t even feel like I wanted to cry, but now I was standing on 5th Avenue in the rain crying. He listens as I sniff in his ear and he doesn’t push me to explain anything – I tell him nothing is wrong I’m just feeling sad. He says he doesn’t care what happened or didn’t happen – I’m sad and he doesn’t like that. I already started feeling better.

Today at work I get an unexpected package. I’m sitting in the office talking to my boss and open it. Inside is a bucket filled with my favorite California beers.

My soul hurts and my heart got broken and my brother sends me beer.

Love is not a strong enough word for how I feel about that boy.

(quick, what movie was that from)

I just got an email from my lovely British mother, and in it she referred to her friends at work as her “peeps” – quotation marks and all. I just thought that was cute.

Because I sure don’t. (Totally kidding.)
But how the hell did I become the mediator? I’m on the other side of the friggin’ country! I have already gotten three emails and two voicemails from various members of my family and it’s barely 9am over there. I guess they lost each other’s numbers and such.

My brother is having a birthday this weekend. He’s now officially in his late-20s. I got him a card and made him a present, so I sent it to my mom to give to him.

This is the first birthday of his that I’m missing. No matter where we have been in the world or in our lives we have always been together on his birthday – this is the first time we won’t be. Well, technically I did miss his first birthday because I wasn’t born yet, but I’ve heard he wasn’t much fun back then anyway, so I didn’t miss much…but I still feel yucky.

Edit:

from Angie.

My mama is hurting and I’m on the other side of the country. If only I could mail her a hug.

Sent mi hermano a care package today, full of handmade goodness. Yeah, I rock.

I talked to him yesterday, and by talked I mean I called my mom, and he took the phone from her, burped in my ear, then gave the phone back to my mama. His way of saying “I love you and I miss you.”

Last winter my parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. My friend did a video of some of the pictures. Apart from the Louie Armstrong song – I like it.

I can tell my Mama anything. Anything! She always said I could but I never really tested it. But after wandering around a foreign country with her – we broke the ice somewhere along the way and stopped being mother/daughter and became friends. This rocks!

Just when you think you know a person this whole other side comes to light. My brother and I have begun to have a lot more heart-to-hearts. Good stuff. Today we went on an impromptu hike and caught up with eachother’s lives. We’re both completely lost, and in an odd way I find that comforting.