The world lost a “nobody” today.
Today my oldest brother passed. From the world’s perspective, he was no one special, no celebrity, no community leader, but for those who knew him, he was an inspiration.
His passing was somewhat expected; somewhat not. He was familiar with medical challenges for much of his last 30 years and this afternoon, multiple issues seemed to peek at the very same time and his weary body simply said enough, and with that, he was gone. (noncovid)
How do I describe my brother?
Pure Hearted,
Resilient
Fiercely Independent
and very very Challenged.
Pure Hearted.
I would say Larry's highest priority was connecting with others. He valued people. As we have lived hundreds of miles apart for many years, phone conversations were the bulk of our connection.. Each and every call Larry would talk about others. What was happening in the lives of relatives, friends and especially people from our home town. He really cared about others. He was a friend to many. In his rural part of the world one would be hard pressed to find someone who did not know him for miles around. A frequent phrase of his was “I’m old school remember?” Which told people he was connecting with, that he desired face to face, one on one conversations. He didn’t need technology, he needed a table, a cup of hot coffee and a friend to chat with.
Resilient.
Few people have found ways to successfully navigate life with only one arm. A farming accident took his left arm in 1991. That slowed him down for a season but with healing came creative ways to earn an income and spark his enthusiasm. Driving was one of his loves and soon we were hearing about his travels across much of Western Canada as he transported goods across the prairies. In his apartment we found his updated drivers license that allowed him to drive with a commercial license even today. He loved the open road.
Fiercely Independent.
Larry lived the motto of “I will do things my way”. Oh how family especially wanted to help, assist, guide and partner with him to navigate through life. Many offered assistance, but rarely were the offers welcome. For family, the conundrum of seeing someone we love, not accept assistance, was a decades long hurt, but as time passed we learned that his joy came from blazing his own trail; not in following ours.
Challenges.
For Larry it was common that each week brought a new challenge; be it a financial challenge, a relationship challenge, a housing challenge, a medical challenge, a trapped in red tape of the system challenge (lots of those), a tough luck challenge, a being taken advantage of challenge and more. (I have to be honest and say that there were times I couldn’t call him as the weight of his burdens would bring me down). He could write “the” book on adversity. He faced giant after giant after giant, yet he had resolve to persevere through and figure out a way to succeed.
Tonight as I was making calls and sharing the news of his passing with relatives, each and everyone talked about his tough, tough life coupled with his resiliency to continue. Somewhere deep within him sprang optimism despite odds. He had a knack for describing the most daunting and frustrating situations with a twist of hopefulness. There is a Bible verse that says “my mercies are new every morning” meaning God grants the enough strength to make it through each day. For me Larry was a living testament to this verse. Yes sometimes the bleak world he faced did get the better of him, but never for long. His internal spring of optimism never ran dry.
Larry, my brother, you were quite a character. You set an example of seeing good and seeking hope regardless what life brought your way. (Nurses commented that even yesterday you were being your feisty self.) On the world’s scale you were a “nobody”, no flags are going to fly half mast for you, but for those that knew you, your influence on them will have lasting impact. All will reflect on the joy you had despite the hardships you faced and will have a solemn appreciation for being lucky enough to have known you.
Your example of grit, tenacity and perseverance as well as showing love, kindness and acceptance to all, humbles me. I have much to learn from you.
I am honored to be your “little” sis.
Pearl
Psalm 71:20 NLT - “You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again”
