The Patriarch of my family is my Older Brother. I am not sure when that happened
exactly. Perhaps when our younger
brother died suddenly this past summer but, I think it happened long before
that.
He has always been the one who makes everything alright for
everyone, no matter what happens.
That is not to say our father hasn’t always been a strong and loving
provider. Or that our grandfathers were not
kind and loving men. Or that the women
in our family are not strong, intelligent, powerful women. All of these things are true. But somewhere along the way, my older brother
became the central pillar that holds up the hall of our House. He is the Cornerstone of our foundation, the
Oak that gives us shelter and security and rest when we are weary. He is the peace-bringer we look to and the example
we aspire to. He is always there.
And now, when our grandparents are passed and our parents
are aging, and the children are becoming adults, and raising little ones of their
own (well one at least) the presence of this strong and easy-going man, has
become essential to the well-being of our family.
He is the one who spends time with our father, and our
mother. He is the one who steps in to
provide love and support our brother’s daughters, he and his love, his wife of
32 years, provide the home and hearth for our aunts, uncles and cousins, and their
children and grandchildren to gather, so that our extended family can come
together and remember that we are a tribe. There is no judgement, everyone is
welcome, everyone is family, and family is everything.
Knowing that he will be there when we are old, when our
parents pass, when the girls marry, when the boys become fathers, when our grandchildren
too become adults, gives me a sense of peace that I have associated with him
since I was a small child.
He is a loving son, husband, father, uncle, coach, friend
and brother. He is a Great Man. A man of peace, a man of care, a man of
humble strength. I Give Thanks for the
Blessing of Our Patriarch. May the Gods
and the Ancestors bless our family with his presence for decades yet to come. So Mote it Be!