Bryan aka The One With the Kind Heart

Today I'm thinking about Bryan.  He, a mere 53 years old, my youngest cousin on my father's side.  Bryan is not doing well.

Mom called me last night and delivered the bad news:  I guess Bryan has had breathing difficulties for a few years and now they believe he contracted SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome -- yes, it's still around) and has been put on a ventilator. This is very bad news, of course.

I have been so grateful to Bryan over the past fifteen years. Since my father passed, he has been the one from the family to keep in touch with my mother.  He was the one that had to take care of his parents as they aged, as family conflicts had alienated his brother and sister.  I know all of this was probably very hurtful to Bryan.  As a child, he was always the one looking out for us, running in the house to get us Oreo cookies or something to drink.  He never played harmful tricks like his big brother or mocked us like his sister.  Bryan had a kind heart, and cared deeply about family.

Granted, I haven't seen Bryan in many years, but I had hoped to. He and his wife Sandy have a place in Orlando.  I thought perhaps we'd see each other when they made a trip to Florida -- he and I had talked about it when I had called him and told him about my mother's stroke in 2010.

Here is a picture I found of Bryan from a family reunion in 1990.  He was always handsomely healthy, so it is hard to think of him as having trouble breathing or on the demise.  I pray that perhaps there can be a turnaround.  Miracles do occur.

Part of my spiritual practice is to find insights and openings into better ways to live life -- and that is one of the main purposes of this blog.  Bryan for me now is a reminder that we cannot wait to live our dreams.  I know sometimes things get in the way, but somehow we have to push through, even at a snail's pace and grab hold and live the lives we were meant to live.  Don't be afraid to take a step.  There are no guarantees.