Friends: Forever Only Exists In Heaven

 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. 

It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 

it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 Love never ends. 

He meet a girl. He fell in love. He committed to forever. A love that spanned between two people for over 69 years. A love that would reach beyond a breath of life for one and a journey without his love next to him for the other. A love that never weakened and remained strong, even when the bodies that held the hearts connected to one another started to fade away. His love for her was an ABC love. A love created for them by God.

                                                          A = I ACCEPT you just the way you are.

                                                          B = I BELIEVE you are valuable.

                                                          C = I CARE when you hurt.

                                                          D = I DESIRE what is best for you.

                                                          E  = I EASE the burdens you carry.

                                                          F  = I FORGIVE you of all offenses.

His love for her was not a manufactured love but a sacrificial love, as was hers to him.  A love built on a  foundation based on the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  A love that reached out seeking for the the highest good in each other.  A love discovered through God's exceedingly great love for both of them, shared through a nurturing relationship with an abiding presence of the Lord in their lives. 

There is a depth to his love and devotion to her that is rare in today's would. In today's world where everything is fast paced and marriages arrive and depart as often as a plane takes off and lands.  In a world where wants exceed needs and the art of loving one another fades as quickly as the sun sets.  In a world that spun just as quickly then as it does now, he never ran from the hardships and struggles to be with the love that fulfilled every need he held inside his heart.  

He loves her like he allows Christ to love him.  Through him the Grace of God fills their hearts with a love that will never fade, even when their final breathes are taken.  Advice on how to survive in a marriage was never something he needed.  Tips on building a relationship was nothing he needed to seek out.  Loving her came as natural to him as taking a breath.  He knew a relationship was not a two way street and their walk hand and hand would lead down the same roads as their journey moved them in the same direction, through the turns and twists and uphill trips that would surely help them arrive to where they are today.  

A love so pure there is no need to seek out advice.  A love so real it seems as it has always been present in their lives.  A love so strong not even death can weaken the ties that bind it.  A love so committed to one another through Christ it is sure to continue on as death do them part.  A love so unselfish that eternity is sure to have a grip on it in the belief that it will continue on in heaven when both last breaths are taken.  A love so lasting that it will carry on beyond a breath of life.

 

CROSS MY HEART

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-B7GtGQ8WM

Our love is unconditional, we knew it from the start.
I see it in your eyes, you can feel it from my heart.
From here on after let's stay the way we are right now,
And share all the love and laughter
That a lifetime will allow.

I cross my heart and promise to
Give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine.

You will always be the miracle that makes my life complete,
And as long as there's a breath in me, I'll make yours just as sweet.
As we look into the future, it's as far as we can see,
So let's make each tomorrow be the best that it can be.

I cross my heart and promise to
Give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine.

And if along the way we find a day it starts to storm,
You've got the promise of my love to keep you warm.
In all the world you'll never find a love as true as mine,
A love as true as mine.

There are sure to be struggles and hardships in a marriage as time goes on.  There will be arguments and disagreements.  There will be times where you will think twice about whether you can make it, as promised, until death do you part.  I find it endearing when I hear of two hearts that stayed connected together for such a long period of time.  I long for that type of bond with me and my wife one day, when I marry.  I hope I find the strength and the courage to walk next to her the rest of the days of our lives together.  To bond as one with the Grace of God.  To find peace in eternal life, knowing that when forever on earth has long past, forever in heaven continues on.  

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Prayers and Hugs to Great Grandpa and Grandma as they near their final breathes on earth and enter into eternal life, found only beyond a breath breath of life, where forever really does exist.

Faith: Thessalonians 1:3 - God's Grace through Faith Hope and Love

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I

I believe it is through God that we are gifted His Grace in all things good.  The Grace of God is much like love, faith, trust  and hope.  It is not something you can touch.  You cannot measure the amount of Grace you have been given by God.  It is not a matter of having it, or not having it.  It is a matter of realizing what Grace is and making a conscience choice to allow God to gift you more and more Grace as you journey through life with Him on earth.  The more you trust in God, the more you love Him, the more faith you have in his plan for you, and the more hope you have in eternal life with Him beyond your last breath of life, the more Grace you are filled with. 

Grace is what helps us get through the times of despair in our lives.  Grace releases the love you have for God and reminds you why you believe in Him, and trust Him, and carry faith in the path He has laid out for you.  We all experience times in our lives where we feel defeated.  Times where we feel the next step we take will be our last, the next breath we breathe will end our journey here on earth.  The Grace of God pulls us through these times of trouble and renews and restores the trust and faith we have lost in ourselves.  It is in our hour of need that we need to put our faith back in God's hands and let him guide us to the next chapter in our lives.  Trust that He will lift us over these bumps in life and help us see that we are at our strongest when we allow him to direct us on the path in front of us. 

My friend Brandon who is fighting Leukemia has been slowing giving up on himself and recently refused treatments that will eventually cure him.  The road is long for a complete recovery, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Brandon can no longer see the light and has decided to not fight the fight.  I'm not sure what part of his life he decided he could not live without right now, but he is slowly allowing himself to lose all faith, hope and trust in God.  He has shut off the gift of Grace that God has given him.  

Today I sat next to Brandon for hours while he is locked up on a suicide watch.  The first few hours with him he would not even look at me.  I sat next to him with my laptop open and worked on some of my blogs and journals while I waited for him to show me some sign of hope with-in him that would tell me he really did not want to die.  I was hoping with all the faith I had that Brandon would realize that even though he had given up on himself, I had not.  Nor had his parents or siblings or extended family and friends.  I closed up shop on my laptop for a bit and pulled out my bible from my backpack.  I opened it up and started sifting through the passages I had previously marked for this day.  

Titus 3:7
That being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Peter 4:10
As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Peter 1:2
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord
Hebrews 13:9
Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace
Ephesians 4:7
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

It was probably a solid half of an hour that I read passages to Brandon out of my bible today before he finally turned his head in my direction and looked at me.  We have had several talks about God and life on earth and life beyond earth prior to last week when Brandon decided he wanted to check out of this world, void of all hope for a better tomorrow which never seemed to arrive for him.  I knew when he turned to look at me he was at least listening to the words I was speaking.  I thought if he is a least listening to these words, maybe he is putting some thought into them and is slowly finding a way to get back into this game, get his treatments, and work on getting back to who he was before his illness altered his life.

Once I had his attention I decided to let him know what life without Brandon in it would be like.  "Your mom and dad and siblings will never stop crying at night.  They will always try to think of things they should have done differently to help you get through this better.  They will blame themselves for your decision to not want to stay here and be with them.  They will think of every bad moment they had with you, every argument, every fight, every mean thing they ever did and said to you.  They will think about all the times they hurt you, on purpose and by accident.  They will have dreams about you being back in their lives, only to lose you all over again when they wake up.  They will never love themselves as completely as they did before you left.  They will remember the last moments of your life, before you ended it, and see the sadness that surrounded you.  They will look back on your life and look for signs they missed where they feel you were reaching out to them for help and they failed you.  They will cry alone, because crying in front of the rest of the family will make them feel shameful, guilty, and heartless to your needs.  They will spend the rest of their days on earth trying to forgive themselves for not being a better mom, dad, brother, sister, and friend to you."

I told Brandon that his lack of faith and trust and love for himself to the point of despair in life will cause them to lose faith and trust in themselves.  That they will slowly lose God's Grace as they fight the feelings of guilt that the person they loved so much did not love them back enough to want to let them help him through his time of need.  That their smiles will never be the same, their laughter will never have the same tone to it.  That they will find it harder to love anyone like they loved him, and out of sadness and guilt and fear they will not allow anyone to love them like they need to be loved.

I wanted Brandon to see the darker side of his darkness. I wanted Brandon to be sure that making the decision to give up his fight for life, he would alter the lives of many.  I wanted him to make sure that he understood his decision to die would affect everyone who knew him, and loved him, and pray for him.  I wanted him to realize that him giving up this fight would mean that everyone else would have to fight harder.  I wanted him to think about how painful it is for everyone to see him like this.

"Think about this my friend.  How would you feel if one of your parents or siblings wanted to give up and check out of life?  How would you feel if this one action you would like to take would result in a life of pain and suffering for the rest of your family?  How does it make you feel to make your mom cry at the thought of you snuffing out your life?  Does it make you proud to see her cry, knowing now that the life she gave you is the life you now want to take from her?  You do what you want, live or die, and I will always love you my friend, whatever you decide.  Do yourself this one favor.  Take some time to think about all this.  You are seventeen and in six months you could have this thing beat and be back in the life you had before this bump slowed you down.  You're parents got you to this point, I think you can give them six months of the best you got to show them you are worth their efforts."

"There but for the Grace of God go I.  Trust in the Lord our God Brandon.  Have faith that greater things are in store for you.  I do not believe you will find what you are looking for beyond a breath of life at this time."

With those words I stood, sat my bible on Brandon's bed next to him, let him know I would be out of town this weekend and would be up to see him late Sunday when I returned and he should make sure he is well rested, because the next time I come and sit with him I would like him to do the talking.  About an hour ago I received a text from Brandon's dad.  "Brandon has been reading the bible you left on his bed.  I thought you would like to know that."  I thanked his dad for the message of HOPE and replied "I also left a few of my angels with him, to nudge him to open it.  :-) "

We continually remember before our God and Father 

your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love,

 and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

 I do not promote suicide or believe it is the right thing to do.  I have learned a great deal from my friends and family about life and its tragedies.  I have also learned a great deal about pain from life and the lessons it tosses my way.  That being said, I do not believe those that commit suicide are cowards.  I know pain and I know the fight in life we fight to stop the pain that saturates our hearts and souls.  When all other options fail to ease the pain, some people see no other way to stop the pain.  The questions I would ask those who judge other peoples pain is ... where were you when your family/friends needed you the most? 

                   http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

                  Call us1-800-273-TALK (8255) 

“Did you really want to die?"
"No one commits suicide because they want to die."
"Then why do they do it?"
"Because they want to stop the pain.”

Faith: ROMANS 12:2 - UNANSWERED PRAYERS

At what point in your journey 

would you choose to go back to 

if that option were provided to you?

This is the question I not only ask myself quite often, it is also asked of me many times as well.  It is, in fact, a game my friends and I play with each other when we are chilling, hanging out together.  It is not a real serious game and I am sure when we are sitting around asking and answering this question, not many of us are putting much thought into it.  I remember at one point being asked this question and answering "I would choose to go back to the beginning of this conversation and never let it happen.  It is 15 minutes I will never get back."

I have thought about this question many nights as I laid in bed trying to fall asleep from exhaustion but also trying to stay awake to avoid the nightmares.  There are many points in my journey I would go back to if I was allowed to go back.  The death of Gracie is one of them, as is the death of my brother Joey.  It is not that I do not miss all the deaths in between the deaths of those two angels above me, but those are the deaths I mourn the most.  The brother who tried to save me from an abusive 'dad' and the little princess who I could not save from death.  

Both of those deaths always seems like they happened just days ago.  The memories of the final days with both of them are forever etched in my mind, my heart, and my soul.  Tragic as they were to me, both died expectantly due to cancer, the end of their lives on earth a sure thing.  The only hope either of them had was to advance directly to Heaven, moving swiftly from one journey to the next.  Joey's final days collected into a little more than a year of his 24 years on earth, Gracie's final days fell short of her ninth birthday. 

So the real question is this:  

What would you be willing 

to give up in order to go 

backwards in time?

I loved my brother Joey more then life itself, and I can prove that by how much I still love him even though he is gone.  I would cherish more time on earth with Joey and I imagine how nice it would be to have celebrated his last six birthdays with him.  To move along in my journey next to his as we grew old together until a time when our final breaths were only days apart from each other.  To share our lives together and celebrate countless birthdays, graduations, and weddings our families would encounter.

So taking a look at the last six plus years had Joey lived, the list of what I would have lost out on grows by the day.  Six years filled with new life, more deaths, many friends, and a growing Misfit family would be gone.  Living my dream of a college degree in Journalism may have never come through for me.  Living on the east coast and getting to know my brother Jordy may have never happened.  Watching Joey's best friends Mikey and Jake take on life's challenges would probably have been dull and boring in comparison to the success I have watched them swim in.  Two of three confirmed bachelors for life, one married and the other one becoming a father to me, may have halted the new life I experience in their lives today.  The friends I've made, the bonds I've formed, may have never grew into the relationships I have with them now.

The time I spent with my Amazing Gracie was short but full of life changing experiences.  Going back in time to the moment I met Gracie would mean I would not get to walk those final months with her in her life on earth.  The life lessons I learned from that eight year old child would be lost to me forever.  The strength she showed me I had inside of me to visit sick children and comfort their distraught parents would still be pushed down inside of me and perhaps never be revealed.  The courage she gave me to face life head on no matter what struggles I faced would be buried in the memories of my past and never seen.  The pinky swears and promises, the barbie doll play dates, her bossy sassy ways of dealing with the boy with the funny name would never be revealed in my world.  

Truth be known, given the option to go back in time or keep everything life has dealt me, good and bad, I would stay where I am today in my journey.  I will always want Joey and Gracie back in my life with me.  I will always long for the smiles and laughter I shared with my angels now flying above me, but I would not want to give up a moment of the time I have been journeying on without them breathing the same earths air as I am.  My heart will forever ache in their absence even though the memories continue to fill in the breaks in my heart.  I will always honor the friendships I shared with them and the touch of our souls.  I will forever be grateful for the moments I was given with them, no matter how short that time seemed to be. 

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

 that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, 

what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The will of God overpowers even the prayers we ask of Him in an effort to change the path he has set before us.  We test the will of God by asking for a better outcome when things start to go astray in our lives  We are hesitant to accept disappoint as lessons and heart breaks as something good.  We challenge what we do not understand and are unwilling to accept those things given to as as gifts in disguise.  We fail to see that we are not in control of our own destiny and continue try and alter the plan implanted in our souls the day we come into the world.  Spend more time thinking about your destiny in God's plan and less time trying to change it.  Every now and then, stop and thank God for all your unanswered prayers.

UNANSWERED PRAYERS (Garth Brooks)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7umsq5n1THw

Just the other night at a hometown football game
My wife and I ran into my old high school flame
And as I introduced them the past came back to me
And I couldn't help but think of the way things used to be

She was the one that I'd wanted for all times
And each night I'd spend prayin' that God would make her mine
And if he'd only grant me this wish I wished back then
I'd never ask for anything again

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

She wasn't quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams
And I could tell that time had changed me
In her eyes too it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn't much we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he's doin' after all

And as she walked away and I looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he may not answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Some of God's greatest gifts are all too often unanswered...
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

GOD'S WILL reveals itself through UNANSWERED PRAYERS
WHAT IS GOOD. ACCEPTABLE. AND PERFECT

Family: Til Death Did Us Part ... A Letter to Heaven from a little brothers heart.

Joey,

It doesn't feel like its been six years since the day your journey on earth ended and you began a new journey in heaven with God and all the souls he invited to live with him in his Kingdom.  It seems like it wasn't that long ago you were pulling me around the yard in a beat up old wagon, making me laugh.  I can almost still feel the cold air hit my face as you pushed me down the snowy hill on a cold winter day and raced down the hill before me, waiting for me to reach the bottom.  I can almost hear the crack of the bat against the ball when you took me to the park to teach me how to play baseball.  Running along side me from base to base, letting me touch the safety of the base when you could have easily touched me out.  I can still close my eyes and remember the Morningside Day's Carnival rides, the naps under the trees, the smell of the treats you bought me, as we spent a whole day together.

I think about how fun you made my days before the sun set and the Bushnell nightmares took over.  I think about the times you called me buddy and introduced me to your friends as 'my brother, my best friend', making me feel loved, wanted, and needed, in your life.  I think about how you used to take me along on dates with you and your girlfriends and gave me the attention you should of have been giving your girl(s).  The times when you used to throw me over your shoulder and carry me around as I was screaming because you told me how you were going to sell me to the junk yard for cash so you could use the money to buy yourself beer and  peanuts. I think about the times you came over and got me and took me around the rich side of town to look at Christmas lights and decorations.

It seems like just yesterday you were healthy, happy, and living life as it would never end.  Never missing a beat, never hesitating to live for the moment and not think about dying young.  It seems like just yesterday you were running rampant around the city looking for your next adventure.  It seems like just yesterday your heart beat strong and your mind worked endlessly.  It seems like just yesterday you were making everyone laugh and enjoy you for who you were to them, how you loved them, and how you cared for them.

My memories of you would not be complete without the memory of the last year of your life.  The memories where I learned that fear does not make your faith stronger and hope does not make your sadness go away.  The year I watched a life slowly slip away from the body of my best friend, my brother, my mentor.  The year I not only lost my brother but the faith I had in escaping the Bushnell life and moving onto a life with better hope and a brighter future.

I will never forget the day you took your last breath of life.  I will never forgot watching those that loved you the most say their final goodbyes to the son, the brother, the friend, the little kid, who added a spark to the life they shared with you.  I will never forget watching that tear roll down mom's cheek as she kissed you goodbye.  The sad quiet look on Jordy's face as he let go of the brother that would no longer understand the life he lived.  The exit of your friend Jake before you died, because he could not handle your final moments on earth and chose not to watch you gasp a final breath as if you were taking the air in that room with you.  The anger and sadness of your best friend Mikey who yelled for you to not go, to not leave him alone in a world where you were the only one that understood his pain in life.  The shock and lack of understanding from me of what was happening at the very moment your soul left the shell of the body it occupied to take its spot in heaven with God.

The tears, the anger, the sadness.  All of it remains on the earth you left, in memories that will never be forgotten. The laughter, the smiles, the happiness.  They also still remain in the hearts of those still walking their journey on earth.

Beyond a breath of life you never really left me Joey.  Beyond your walk on earth I still feel you beside me, guiding me in life as if you were keeping your promise to keep me safe and out of harms way.  Beyond a brotherhood of togetherness, beyond a friendship of love, beyond a heartbeat away, you are with me, now and forever, until we meet again .... beyond a breath of life that lives in me through you.

I love you Joey, and I miss you and I if dreams really did come true you would still be with me today.  With each tear drop that falls, with each pain in my heart I will always love you and I will forever be thankful for your guidance in my life as it continues with the spirit you provide me to live life as if it will never end.

Good Bless your soul and may you continue to rest in the peace we all desire.

Love always, Jett

Family: Mourning Death : Celebrating Life

I often blog about those in my life that have passed on from their journey on earth to begin their next journey after they have taken their final breath on earth.  In my blogs I use the memories I had made with these loved ones to reference who they were to me in life.  I don't have to reach very far into my heart to find the words to convey the pain I have over them being gone.  I mourn and grieve for them daily as I continue my walk with out them on the earth.  

I know I grieve too much at times and I know it consumes a great deal of my time.  I do not think it is harmful really, to miss those I love no longer with me.  I believe it is as natural to mourn death as it is to celebrate life.  I do believe it hinders my relationships a great deal with those still walking my journey on earth with me.  I did not realize this until the middle of this week when my only living sibling invited me to lunch.  As of last Wednesday he is not only my only living sibling, he is now the only other living member of our family.  The two of us left together on earth, to carry on without the siblings we can never replace.

We received news that our natural father had passed away.  He has not been in my life for the last six years and it has been even longer since he has been in my brothers life.  In the past several years I often thought about how although the mental, physical, and sexual abuse was heinous, the aftermath of it was just as horrible.  The sleepless nights, the nightmares, the looking over the should to make sure he was no longer sneaking up on me were just as abusive as the actual violence he inflicted on me.  

This is not about him, this is about my brother Jordy.  My brother who rescued me from the Bushnell house the last time my natural father ever laid a hand on me.  The brother, who absent from my life for almost seven years, dropped everything and came back from the east coast to get me.  The brother who was barely 21 himself, who took on a 14 year old kid, who was as broken as a kid could be.  The brother that had no clue how to raise me, where to begin, what to do with me.

We fought constantly, him trying to parent me and me reminding him he was my brother, not my mother.  I was angry at where I was in life and failed to note that he completely altered his life to help me become a man.  I've always been a little angry with Jordy for leaving home when he was 14, to escape the abuse I now know.  I was angry with him because I watched our mom cry as she would come across a picture of him, or a card he had written to her, or an article of clothing he left behind.  There was never any doubt in my heart that I loved him like a brother should, but the anger pushed that love down so deep in my heart that I failed to remember the reasons I did love him.  

Jordy is seven years older then I am and I was seven years old when he left the Bushnell home in hopes of a better life for himself.  In the six years that followed the day he left home we probably seen him maybe six times a year.  I would see my mom cry all over again after he showed up then left as quickly as he came.  I saw her pain and I hated seeing the tears.  What I never saw was the pain in my brothers heart.  That would all change in the few days following the news of the death of natural father.

I waited for the day the news would come to us regarding his death.  Justice was served the battle was won.  The man who others called my dad and was simply known to me as SD (sperm donor) was dead.  I felt relief in knowing that he could not only never hurt me again, but the world could rest easy, knowing he could never hurt another human being again.  I would not mourn the death of the man who never celebrated my life.  I would celebrate his death by remembering all those lives he ruined so carelessly and recklessly.  It mattered not to me that his final breath on earth had been taken.  

It somewhat surprised me when my brother took the death of him so hard.  He was so lost in the grief of it all that he actually asked me to explain to him what he was feeling.  I had never seen my brother so down before, so out of it, so lost in his world.  Jordy is always the level headed one, the driven force behind his success was unmatched by anyone else I knew.  He is strong and confident and achieved things beyond the impossible.  He is a strong family man with values and morals never shown inside the house on Bushnell in Sioux City, IA.  He is a faithful loyal husband and a great father to his two little girls.  He is financially stable, gainfully employed, and well respected and know through out his community.  He has a great sense of humor and a kindness about him he reveals to those he is loyal to.  

It was time for me to stand tall, reach out to my brother in his time of need.  To let him lean on me for comfort and support.  To let go of my comfort in this death and let him mourn and grieve for the dad he wanted this man to be to him, to us.  To let him cry, let him talk, let him share his thoughts about the past, as well as the future, in the present we were now in.  In doing this, in letting go of all my feelings, I saw a different side to this brother who I failed to be a brother to.  I realized today that while I was mourning the death of my brother Joey (as well as my other brother, sister, and mother) I failed to celebrate the life of the brother who stands by me as I journey on earth.  

While I expected Jordy to understand my pain, and celebrate my success, I was not living up to the expectations of being a brother back to him.  I was not involved enough in his life beyond his success to understand his pain and his grief for all we have lost.  I failed to recognize that he too, absent of a mom and a dad, needed someone to comfort him, and let him know how proud I am of all he has done.  To be understanding of how he must feel.  After all, he went through the very same things in that house that I did, as the brothers before us did.  

I have not been an unconditional type brother to Jordy as he has been to me.  I have not been mindful of the lack of love he must have been feeling from the only living brother that he has.  I have not sought out a way to build on our relationship and reach out to him, not just in my time of need, but in his as well.  I never really thought of my brother as needing me until today.  I never took notice that he may have weakness's that I may be able to help him with.  I never knew he thought I was strong enough to let him lean on me in his times of trouble.  I never knew.  But now I do.

 To my brother Jordy:  Forgive me brother, for not being the brother to you that you have been to me.  Thank you for allowing me to see the side of you I failed to realize existed.  I am proud of you Jordy, for all you have done and all you will do.  I love you, more than you will ever know.  I get it.  I understand.  I will be next to you when you fall, just as you are there for me.  You ain't heavy ... you're my brother.

Jett 

HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER

The Hollie's 

   

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows when
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

He's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1KtScrqtbc