Last night, my brother called and we talked, which is a rare occurence for us. He filled me in on things going on with him, and likewise with me. We talked a little about how neither of us made any effort to see our father over the recent holidays. It seems past hurts, no matter how old, are still so easy to hold onto. I was surprised with this discussion, as my brother and I rarely talk about anything too deep.

He mentioned that he had read a recent article that I wrote for my Toastmasters newsletter and that I sent to him to read. I never thouoght he would. He did, and commented on it to me. He told me he thinks its so cool that I have the courage to talk about stuttering so openly and put it out there for all the world to see. That was huge for my brother – we had never talked about it. It was definitley taboo for us. That’s why I sent him the article. I figured his wife would cajole him into reading it. Luckily, she did.

He also shared with me that he always felt it wasn’t fair that so much was heaped on my plate as a kid. He knew I was care giver and baby-sitter for so many years, and was robbed of childhood. For him to acknowledge that after so many years is pretty awesome. Maybe we are on the verge of a break through and will venture into new uncharted territory for us. Or maybe he just wanted to talk about things that are on his mind.

It is often most difficult to talk to those closest to us. Siblings have a bond, but it is often that same bond that keeps us at arm’s length. He has a birthday coming up – maybe he is becoming introspective in his old age, much like myself, with all this writing.

I never thought I would have a discussion about stuttering, however remote, with my brother.
Here’s hoping it happens again!