My Brother Buck

My life story has been intertwined with Buck’s since his birth in 1984. He was my
brother and a lot of my life stories are the same as those written in the book that was his life.
I never expected his story line to end in MY book of life so soon. His book was a
quarter of the length it should have been. His book should have still been churning out pages long after many of our epilogues have been written and our books’ closed. His last chapter is one that I never wanted written and didn’t want to read. But as all of us were forced to read it, he had to live it. As painful as it is for us to read that final chapter, we can’t begin to feel the pain he had to endure as it was written. As we move through the coming weeks, months, and years, we will suffer as that final chapter creeps into our days and sleepless nights. But I pray that as we work through these awful moments, we don’t forget that Buck’s book was comprised of many more chapters than the last one. I pray that we move to a place where our mind doesn’t jump to the end, but pages through the rest to find the enduring memories that weaved their way into the story of ALL our lives. Like the happy times he spent hunting and fishing. Or how hopelessly in love he was with his wife. The love and respect he felt for his parents. Or the many silly times he had with me and Rachel growing up.
There is no way to re-write what has already been written, but with our faith and the love of our family, we will heal. We will remember that almost all of what made the pages of Buck’s life; we wouldn’t change one word of. Love you Buck