My Brother. My Friend

My brother. My friend. He was good, and kind. Funny, and fun to be around. Friendly to all he met. He liked to laugh and play games. Was better tempered than i. Didn't hold a grudge, and wasn't judgemental of others. He liked clothes, and cars and camping and fishing. And dogs. He had many over the years, including our cute street mutt, Zachy when we were kids; an Irish Setter named Casey, who could jump fences in a single bound, smiled when Walt told him to, and chewed the fur off the collar of my winter coat,(a story for another time), and finally his beloved and loyal companion, Betsey. As all deaths do, when Walt died in 2010, his passing left a huge void in the life of his family and friends. Like a beautiful garden where a magnificent flower is uprooted and blooms no more; The flower gone, one can only linger in the memory of the joy it brought in seeing its brilliant color and fragrant smell. And in remembering, is grateful for its beauty. i think of my brother, and am grateful for the brilliant, bright colors of his loving spirit and sweet fragrance of his gentle heart. For the friendship we shared, the loving bond we had; and i give thanks to God. My Mother once told me, sometime after Walt's passing, and i was feeling sad, to remember Walt would always and forever be my brother, nothing could, or ever would change that. Not even death. Today, on the 13th anniversary of his passing, i think of my Mother's words, and am comforted again.

in loving memory of Walt Cooney September 4,1954 - May 30,2010