Wednesday, April 14, 2021

.One Man's Family - Edited

Our man in Indiana seems to be in a reflective mood

"I am  the oldest of  six children - four boys and two girls.   The older of my sisters was born 17 months after me.  My first youngest brother was born 3 1/2 years.  He passed away three days later from what my sister and I were told was "blue baby syndrome.  He  had been given our father's name so we always referred to him as "Junior."

I often wonder what he would have been like as a brother and how our family may have been different had he survived. 

I was three and half when a third brother surprised us all  when he arrived  just before my 20th birthday.

Along the way we  also acquired a foster  brother though the years.

Our lives have been rich with sibling rivalry  and sibling love. We all get together with our spouses every month (except during  Covid 19.) 

How our lives may have changed had Junior  grown up with us.  We talk about what sort of student and person he would have been; whether he would have married,  

I am sure other people have had a similar experience of losing a sibling at a very young age and pondering the "what if's for" for a lifetime.

1 comment:

History Doc said...

There are some omissions in the blog post, so here is the original reflection:

"I am the oldest of six children - four boys and two girls. The older of my sisters was born 17 months after me and she passed away on my 60th birthday. My first younger brother was born 3-1/2 years after me. He passed away three days later from what my sister and I were told was "blue baby syndrome. He had been given our father's name, so we have always referred to him as “Junior.”

“I often wonder what he would have been like as a brother and how our family may have been different had he survived.”

“I was 3-1/2 when he passed away, but the emotional trauma my parents experienced etched quite a few memories in my young mind. I would have a second younger brother arrive two years later followed in another two years by a sister, then a third younger brother sort of surprised us all when he arrived just before my 20th birthday.”

“Along the way we also acquired a foster brother who was my age.”.

“Our lives have been rich with sibling rivalry and sibling love. We all get together with our spouses every month (except during the Covid19 sequestration) for a sibling dinner to keep our family together and our memories alive.”

“We often ponder how our lives may have changed had Junior grown up with us. We talk about what sort of student and person he would have been; whether he would have married and what type of person his spouse would be, what he would have chosen as a vocation, and whether or not he would have fathered children.”

“I am sure other people have had a similar experience of losing a sibling at a very young age and pondering the "what if's" for a lifetime to follow.”