I have a brother. He
lives 400 miles west of me. I don’t get
to see him much, nor do we talk that often, but I know he’s there, I know he
loves and cares for me, and I know I’d do anything in the world for him. I’d be by his side if he needed me, I’d
defend him if necessary, and I’d take care of his children if something every
happened and they need a fatherly figure in their lives.
I have another brother.
He’s an old shipmate of mine. We
served in the Navy together. We stood
the mid watch together. We shared beers
together. We spent time together when we
were in port or at home. We laughed
together, we share a tear together, we watched our children grow up together, and
we vowed to be there for one another no matter what. We promised to look after each other’s family
when the other couldn’t. I love this
brother like he’s my own flesh and blood.
I have another brother.
We coached together. We played ball
together. We cheered for each other’s
teams, even when we were on opposite sides of the field. We’ve watch each other grow throughout the
years. We’ve shared jokes. We’ve bad-mouthed professional coaches and
general managers for making stupid decisions regarding our beloved teams. I love this brother like he’s my own flesh
and blood.
I have another brother.
We pray together. We meet on Wednesday
mornings for a men’s prayer meeting. We
asked about each other’s family. We talk
about accountability as a son, a father, a husband and a brother. We listen to the pastor’s message together. We reflect on the Word together. We slap each other on the back when we’re
departing, and we promise to pray for each other throughout the week. I love this brother like he’s my own flesh
and blood.
I have another brother.
We work together. We greet each
other warmly each morning. We asked how
work is going and what we can do to help one another out. We have meetings together. We try to solve company problems
together. We rely on each other’s
knowledge and business expertise to help us get our tasks accomplished. We share information with one another. We seek each other’s advice and trust one
another with business matters that should remain within an office confine. I love this brother like he’s my own flesh
and blood.
I have another brother.
I haven’t met him yet, but I consider him a brother nonetheless. He’s the vet that stands on the street corner
with a sign asking for help and blessing me for it. He’s the stranger on the elevator that looks
up from his phone and greets me warmly, wishing me a good day when he reaches
his floor. He’s the criminal that made a
horrible mistake and pays for his sins with imprisonment. He’s the guy in a dead end job who’s working
to find the positives. He’s the man that
leaves he’s family every day to earn a wage so he can cloth his children,
provide a roof over their head and food on the dinner table. And he’s the refuge trekking with his family
to find safety. He’s looking for warmth
and comfort. He’s looking for food and
shelter. He’s doing everything within
his power to protect his family from the tyranny of religious hatred. I love this brother like he’s my own flesh
and blood…
A Common Man
