Family history

My "baby" sister Marti is the youngest of our parents' seven children. (I am the oldest - 16 years her senior.) I don't think I realized how completely she views Brandon as her little brother until the 24 hour June 2nd vigil at Brandon’s bedside. However, it makes perfect sense. Brandon is only 7.5 years younger than Marti and she, as well as our sister Anne, the 6th of the seven, often spent the night at our house or accompanied us on family vacations when they were young.

       Marti with Brandon celebrating another "busted" chin after his version of the Worm

Marti, now a mother of three and a veteran flight attendant, has become quite the family genealogist. As a way to share her findings and feelings about family history, she created Marti’s Genealogy Adventures blog. Her blog posts during a September 2011 “immersion” trip to the home city of “our [Kerkhoff] people,” Haselünne, Germany, are a treat!

But her recent blog post took my breath away. It is Part 2 of the “and the strength continues” family theme posts. It is mainly a tribute to her nephew/little brother, Brandon and the physical, but more importantly the mental and spiritual, strength he demonstrated during his battle with that f’n disease. Please read her post. Please look at the photos. Please get to know my baby, who is no longer in this life with us, so you can better understand the sorrow felt with his departure.

Thank you, Marti, for this tribute and for weaving it into the tapestry of our family history. Love you, baby sister!