Happy Birthday To My Younger Brother

My younger brother Jon celebrated another birthday earlier this week and while I don’t think he would mind, I will not say the number of years he has now been around.

(For the record, it is four years less than yours truly.)

My brother has accomplished a great deal during those years and has every right to be proud although he would be one of the last people you would ever hear brag on himself.

Jon has many things to be rightfully proud of. He is a hard-working person and has been employed for several years at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville. His skills helped him build his own house and he is able to do work with his hands that I would have no idea how to do.

Perhaps one of the things he has a right to be most proud of is how he has been a stable father figure to his step-daughters Claudia and Natascha. Being in that role is never easy for any man, but it has been enjoyable for me seeing him excel, with ease to be honest, in it.

My brother is very laid back and never really seems to get too stressed or too worked up about much of anything. He’s really opposite of his older brother in that way. I’ve always been a worrier. If I don’t have anything to worry about then I worry about that.

Jon, on the other hand, is the type who simply takes life in stride. I’m sure there have been times he’s been worried but you would never know it. He keeps the same level head on his shoulders at all times and often helps me stay calm with his approach to life.

I’m glad to say that we’ve always had a good relationship for two brothers. We’ve never truly had any issues between us. I know that’s not always the case for siblings. I can’t imagine we would ever let money or anything for that matter cause our relationship to be put in jeopardy.

While we are not completely the same, we do share many common interests. We both enjoy sports, especially local high school athletics. We both know how our local teams are doing, regardless of the season.

We both enjoy taking care of animals and have always had pets of some description.

Some of our favorite movies are identical and we often quote lines from them to each other which through the years caused some funny looks from his step-daughters especially Natascha.

In our hectic lives we often forget birthdays, even the ones of family members and close friends. However, on Monday of this week Jon’s birthday was on my mind as I drove to work. I did find out later that he took a day off from work to enjoy his birthday, which he jokingly said started off with a trip to the dentist.

I also pondered how a birthday on a Monday doesn’t seem right but as long as you have another one that’s all that matters.

The weather turned out nice Monday afternoon so hopefully Jon had a chance to enjoy that part of it. My family is planning to gather for Jon’s birthday in a few more days. It’s the first opportunity we were all able to meet.

While it will be a few days after his birthday in the year 2017, we’ll enjoy the event like we always do. It’s always that way when you celebrate the birthday of a person who has accomplished as much as my brother has.

Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com