A Proud Accomplishment

I sat in the Principal's office with the Principal, the assistant Principal and the chair of the English department.  I was so nervous I could hardly sit still and I wanted every answer I gave them to be the perfect answer.  This was, after all, the job I had always wanted.  (Well, since I had decided to get another degree in English Education.)

Then, the principal asked a question:  "What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment outside of education?"

It startled me.  I stopped, looked up so I could think and then found myself oddly comfortable.

"My relationship with my brothers," I answered.

The conversation that followed chronicled the relationship I have with Big Bro and Lil' Bro, and it was the most honest answer I probably gave that entire interview.

The truth is Ronnie, Timmy and I are pretty close as far as siblings are concerned.  I've been really blessed to call them friends into adulthood even though growing up might've shown a different picture.

We were a typical sibling group.  We fought.  We tried to strong arm one another into doing someone else's chores.  We didn't always want the other in our business.

But as we've grown older, we've realized that the only people with the same set of life experiences happen to have grown up in the same house.  We understand that when friends bail and things fall apart, there are two other people who warrant a phone call.  We get that despite each of our shortcomings, we are family--interconnected.

These days, Ronnie has added a fiancee to the mix.  Tim has added a steady girlfriend and I have contributed a husband.  But each of those people have proven to be complementary to a relationship that functions the way laces function in tennis shoes.

We are tight.  I love them deeply.  I will defend them to the core...but I also know that they will always do the same for me.  And I've never felt so proud.

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This was written in response to The Red Dress Club's prompt:  write something about which you're proud of yourself.