Of Brothers.

If you know me, you know I have a brother. A big brother. Bradley. He's the red-headed middle child, stuck in between two loving sisters. We all cherish him dearly. He is the apple of my father's eye, my mother's baby boy, forever my sister's kid brother, and always my big brother. He's one of my absolute best friends, my teacher, guidance counselor, and inspiration. If you don't have a brother, you might not know what it is I'm talking about but if you do, well, then you know EXACTLY what this bond that I write of is. And it's that bond that makes it so hard to be okay with my beloved brother living in Peru. PERU people! It was hard enough when he lived in Texas (of all places), but at least that was in the United States and I didn't need a passport to go visit him (which I did at least once a year when he lived in Texas). Peru? It's not so easy to visit people in Peru.

That's what made the trip to Peru so amazing. Not just the adventures we had, the new foods we indulged in, the sights and all that... it was being able to see Brad, in his new home, and know that, yeah, he's doing good. It was a relief to me, and to my mom and sister as well, to see the beautiful home that Brad lived in (with the security gate, alarm system, and electric fence) and to meet his wonderful friends. I think that was the biggest thing; to meet the people that are Brad's family down there. To hug them and kiss their cheek (a practice that I wish we all used here in the states), to eat dinner with them and laugh with them. To see that their smiles are genuine and that they care for my brother as I do. I'm so glad we got to go to meeting (church) with Brad, and to see that it's the same home, the same spirit, and the same friends there that he meets with as it is back home. When it came time to leave Brad, despite our tears and repressed sobs, we all felt reassured that he would be loved and cared for, even if we weren't the ones that would be able to be present to do so. And somehow, just somehow, that made it a little bit easier to leave him there. In Peru.

To Rocio, Alex, (and all of Brad's Peruvian friends), GRACIAS. Thank you so much for all your help while we were there. And more importantly, thank you thank you THANK YOU for being my brother's friend and for becoming his family. Knowing that he has surrounded himself with such wonderful people makes not being able to see him on all the special occasions, holidays, birthdays, and family dinners a little less painful. Please, take care of my brother, and if possible... send him home soon. :) I promise to let you come visit him!