My Brothers Keeper?

Last night was the opening game for the regular season Saints v Vikings in New Orleans. They had a lot of pre game festivities planned in the city ,schools were closed early, businesses shutdown, needless to say it was kind of a  big deal. My daughter invited me  to go with her as she had made plans to go down there. Well I wasn’t really looking forward to the 2 hour drive and all the traffic but I do like the atmosphere around the city come game day. Long story short we did not end up in the city bc traffic was horrific and no place to park it was very crowded. The older of my two brothers, Kenny, lives in Metairie right outside of New Orleans. I called him to see what his plans were and he told me his wife had an oppurtunity to go to the game and he was staying home with his two little girls. Before he was married Kenny always did the “Guy thing” ,Kentucky Derby, ball games , sports bars etc. If you would have told me 10 years ago that Kenny would have been  watching the Saints opening season game at home  with two very playful little girls in Saints cheerleader outfits,grilling them sausage for dinner , tying bows and wiping snot while his wife went to the actual game, I would have laughed in your face and bet my life savings against it. My daughter wanted to go watch the game in a bar room somewhere downtown but in my heart I wanted to watch the game with my brother. Growing up Kenny and I didn’t really see eye to eye. My dad left when I was 13 and being the oldest put a lot of responsibility on me which I did not take seriously at all. I became very rebellious and Kenny became a grown up. I didn’t always like him even after we all grew up and got married there was just something about him that got under my skin and it was probably his mouth. Kenny never held his tongue he always said what was on his mind and that I could appreciate I just hated it when he was right . I had a lot of anger and animosity towards him for a few reasons mostly having to do with my dad but that’s a whole other issue. I loved Kenny but didn’t really like him that much. Over the years God began to show me that I was judging him and began to encourage me to get to know him better and he would show me how He sees Kenny. Little by little I began to see Kenny in a different light and it began to shine the night my father died. Kenny is good in a crisis situation meaning he doesn’t freak out or fall apart. When I called him to tell him that my dad passed I was hysterical. Kenny remained calm the entire time ,asked all the right questions  and when I asked him to call  my sister, which I couldn’t bare the thought of that task , without hesitation complied with my request. During the whole process from watching them leave with my father  to sliding him into his resting place Kenny  was the glue that held us all together. I don’t know how he does it but he has this unique way of finding humor in everything . Don’t get me wrong ,sometimes that’s good and sometimes that’s bad but I’m glad God made him that way.  Through Gods eyes He sees Kenny finished, He doesn’t see the coal He sees the diamond. I  now see him as a  good husband , a very loving father , a son to be proud of and a very selfless brother. Kenny has taken a back seat to his other siblings on more than one occasion and I have come to appreciate how his role has played out in our lives . The more time I spend with him I can honestly say the good definitely outweighs the bad. Is he perfect ? Not this guy, but I don’t expect him to be because nobody is and I definitely don’t think he needs to live up to my standards or live the way I think he should live in order for me to have a relationship with him. When my Dad left I didn’t hate him and I didn’t stop wanting to be his daughter because he made mistakes. I had a relationship with my father because I made the effort. I didn’t sit around waiting for him to knock on my door or call me on the phone. When he died I had no regrets because he KNEW how I felt about him and vice versa. Your relationship with people is only as good as the effort you make . The more effort I put into getting to know my brother the more I understand him and appreciate the good things about him . My investment in Kenny is making the four-hour round trip to watch a football game( I could have watched at home) with my brother and two nieces. I highly recommend it because it was worth it, he was worth it. Has the investment paid off?  I am closer to his wife whom I have come to love ,Kenny and I talk on the phone 3 or 4 times a week and I now feel comfortable enough I can talk to him about anything, I am closer to his children( they actually know who I am)  and I see him every time we come to New Orleans. Am I my brothers keeper? I don’t know maybe maybe not I just know that I am his sister  he is my brother and that means something to me so I think I’ll keep him.