Saturday, April 6, 2013

Steady Eddy Steve

It's my big brother's birthday today, and it's a milestone, so I can't imagine letting the opportunity pass without telling you about him.

Like the sun and the sky, he's just always been there.  You don't even realize how much you appreciate it until you get out of your dark space and reflect on what matters.  The blue sky, the sun, these things I rely on and also take for granted.  That describes him.  He's always there, no matter what's going on, and he challenges me, commiserates with me, and has always, always protected me. 

He can tease and BS well enough that he has me going for quite a while before I sometimes realize it.  He has an answer for most everything and certainly has connections - he usually knows someone that can get whatever service or sale I'm interested in buying at some kind of discount.  He has deep smarts built up through years of experience.

And then there is the guidance.  He's a go-to guy and has provided a lot of advice to me, so kids, if you have a complaint about something that happened in your childhood, you might also talk to Steve about it.  What do you do, for example, when your age 16 son gets a chip on the windshield of the '97 Honda?  I called Steve and found out that you spend the $250 and fix it!  Why?  And with a lot of patience he would tell me that I wanted to send a message to that new invincible driver to take pride, that we care about the car.  I've tried to deliberately learn from him. 

Family is everything and I see that value in Steve.  He is a generous spirit.  He models going the extra mile, above and beyond, service with a smile, and is the consummate example of the promise that "it is in giving that you receive" and all who witness that are better for it.

Some of my favorite Steve-isms:
  • "It's what you gotta DO!"
  • "Whatever..."
  •  "It's called LIFE!"
  •  "In my little world..."
And one of my all-time favorite lines:  "Wanna meet at Miguel's for a beer?"

Happy Birthday, Steve!

Steve, hanging out in one his happiest places, his backyard
 

1 comment:

  1. What a beautiful line... "like the sun and the sky, he's always been there".

    Happy birthday, Steve!

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