10 Lessons From My Big Brother
I was so busy at the time - with the sale of my business, with children and grandchildren, with extended family and friends, hobbies and the general day to day routines we all deal with – busy, busy, busy. Running ragged and becoming a professional juggler, in an effort to get “everything” done and feeling quite smug about being able to balance things successfully.
Then the unspeakable happened. My dear brother was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 55. He progressed from hale and hearty to critically ill in what seemed like moments. Within three months he was gone, and those three months were agonizing. The strong man who I loved and adored quickly deteriorated and he could no longer do the simplest of things – he passed away with such grace and was more concerned about everyone else than himself. A few weeks before he passed away, he said “You know we are all dying Coll. The only difference between me and everyone else is that I know what I will die from and I know when.” Life is a precious gift.
The lessons for all of us who knew Gord are countless, but here are ten from the man who inspired me to do this work:
1. Don’t wait to do the things that will make a meaningful difference in the world – you never know when your “ticket is going to get punched” as my brother would say.
2. Tell those you care about that you love them – and share that love with those who so desperately need to feel that someone cares.
3. You can plan all you want – take action while you can.
4. While you are going about your day-to-day routine, remember that the smallest acts of kindness might change someone’s life for ever.
5. Be joyful and celebrate what’s right with the world – the doom and gloom that so often makes the headlines should not outshine the exquisite gift of life that we have been given. Keep moving but stop and smell the roses now and then.
6. Take care of your family even when you don’t see eye to eye on things – family matters.
7. Share your feelings – don’t keep them bundled inside you.
8. Stay true to yourself – I will always remember my brother as one of the few men I knew who stood firm in his beliefs. He never waivered in spite of the circumstances. He was Gord – he was not the Gord others wanted him to be but the Gord he was and he was loved by many. He was a man of character.
9. Take care of your soul – when this life on earth is over, you’ll want to be prepared for what I know will be a life of indescribable joy, freedom and peace. A life that is just beginning.
10. Laugh when it’s right to laugh and cry when it’s time to cry. Let others see the real you – be vulnerable and in that vulnerability, you will touch the hearts of many.
It’s a large day! See you in heaven Gord!