Monday, August 27, 2007

Happy Birthday Grant!


August 27th, 2007 was my oldest brother's birthday. It was also my birthday. We had a family birthday party the night before which I was unable to attend due to what turned out to be a very unpleasant strain of some intestinal thing. (Let's just say I stayed close to home for several days.) Even though I was unable to celebrate with Grant on his birthday I want to pay tribute to Grant in this belated blog.

Five Things I Admire about Grant

1. He is quiet. This is a great quality that I wish I had in some small measure. I am convinced that he and I never had a conversation before I turned 14. It is not out of the realm of possibility because he really does not talk much. Yet, I have found that he generally speaks when something really needs to be said. He also generally says what needs to be said in a straight forward way but is not unkind.

2. He loves nature. Grant appreciates where he lives. So many people don't really pay attention to what is around them. Grant notices nature. He spends time in the mountains and outdoors around his home.

3. He has the soul of an artist. He loves beauty. He sees it in people, and nature, and music. He expresses it through his photographs. I love to see the pictures that he takes.

4. He has empathy for others. He was actually unable to sit through an episode of "I Dream of Jeannie" or "Gilligan's Island" or any other show where someone might embarrass themselves. He would have to get up and leave the room. He was always great at listening to me, especially during my first couple of years of college.

5. He is constant. Grant doesn't get swept away by situations or emotions. He lives life and enjoys it but he doesn't get distracted. He has always been a great brother and a good example for me.

So, Here's to you Grant! I am going to try to be a little more like you this year by getting outside more and not talking so much. I figure that is a good place to start.

2 comments:

Nicole said...

I have checked your blog 2x a day since that last blog and somehow missed that this one had been posted! I set a bookmark on this page and now realize that it was set to go only to your last post which is why I never saw this one. :D

I love your writing and that was a really nice tribute to uncle Grant. Its good to learn more about our family and the people we love! So thank you! And thank you for posting comments on my lonely blog, I really appreciate it.

sarah said...

I hope Grant feels guilty for not having a great blog and writing such nice things about his good sister. :-) I second everything you said Dona.
Knowing and loving Grant makes me want to put on all my high tech gear (if I had any), grab a some great canon camera with 10 mega pixels and 500gb memory card (I don't have one of these either but I'm bettin' Grant does) and an ipod blastin' Dan folgerberg and then run 14 miles uphill to find a moment of solitude at some summit and snap a few pics.
Thanks for the post!
love ya!