I was reminded this morning of my deceased oldest brother Jim (#4416)

      For the years that have followed since my brother Jim's sudden passing I have not thought of Jim as much as I now realize I should have. He died in 2002 and it will have been 19 years soon enough. But for the first 50 years of his life he was an important figure in my own development. Whenever I had a tough question needing a solution to I went to Jim many times before even my parents. An older brother can give real up to date advice when both of us have gone or are going through similar circumstances. Many a time Jim was there for me to tell me what my options were when I really needed someone to trust. Parental advice is often to hard to get when the subject of current events is not in their wheelhouse.
     Of course as I got older I needed Jim's advice less and less but that doesn't mean that we were without reasons to hang out together. I was real fortunate that Jim was rational and reasoned. He loved science and questioned many things as a rule. Sure he had his quirks but he was curious after life and had an enthusiasm for his family and work that was quite admirable. Even when my life was changing from the hard charging invincible youth/young man to a more mature man Jim was able to help with that transition. His smile or smirk however you want to describe it had his happy mischievous nature behind it.
     I cannot imagine how much more difficult my life would have been without my oldest brother Jim. He left us early with a heart attack leaving behind his wife ad 3 children. Jim did have the best of what it is to be human within him and although he left us early he did leave a positive impression on my life. I still miss Jim and even though I haven't had him at the forefront of my mind lately he has forever influenced who I am and still who I can be. That's correct. Even my future is influenced by Jim as he is still my best example as an oldest brother as to how to be a man and how to love life with more than an eye to my own concerns.