Happy Birthday

We were born 4 years apart, yet our birthdays fell 2 days apart in January.

Derek always loved the 6th and the 7th because he could claim he was only 3 years younger than me. On the 8th, just like a good big sister, I'd rub it in that I was again, 4 years superior.

My mom used to have a "double birthday" party for us on the 7th. Finally, I realized I was getting gypped, and insisted on my own party. As adults, we returned to the double birthday party. For the first 4 years after his death, I could not bring myself to "celebrate" either his birthday, nor my own.

But today, I am celebrating Derek's birthday. Today, my little brother would be 31. Happy Birthday, Derek...