This weekend I got to see my younger brother Bill for the first time in about fifteen years! During the time Jean and I lived overseas, Bill and his family lived on the east coast of the US in Pennsylvania. Bill just moved back to the west side of the continent and is planning to settle in or near Richland where he lived a long time ago.
So a few nights ago, after we got back to the Tri-Cities from Clarkston, WA, Bill and his wife Linda came for dinner. I had seen Linda much more recently than I’d seen Bill as we had met in Tacoma in 1998 at our daughter Stephanie’s home. I had also seen Linda at her dad’s funeral in Port Angeles in 1995.
The thing that really amazed me is how much Bill and I are beginning to look alike! Our ten years’ difference in age shows up less now than at any time we’ve ever been together. Not so much hair and what there is remaining is white.
It was so good to have a few hours together to catch up on family stuff – hearing about Bill’s kids and where they are now. Talking about my kids and what they’re doing.
We talked about mutual friends from long ago and updated each other on what, when, and where. Bill is much more up-to-date on most of that, so I learned a lot. There’s still so much to talk about that happened in my life during the years we lived in the UK and in Oregon since returning to the US. And Bill has gone from being a mechanic for cars and trucks to maintaining and servicing ATM’s and other sophisticated electronic money machines. And of course there’s all the things that have happened in other areas and relationships.
We’re not going to let it be a long time before we get together again! We’ve already go plans underway for Bill and Linda to visit us in Bend and no doubt we’ll connect there in the Tri-Cities again before long.
I still am amazed at how much we look alike! It’s great to be face to face again, brother Bill!