A Brother's Words; A Sister's Thoughts by Cindy Campbell

What does it mean to be a  Warrior Queen?  It’s a lifetime of care and love that often goes unseen. For there is no glory at the very start, when a mother first hears the beat of a brave heart. Days turn to weeks as she watches her belly grow. She will soon deliver a hero the world has yet to know. Her heart melted when handed her sweet bundle of joy. It was love at first sight for this mother and baby boy. Protecting and guiding little steps is no easy feat. The challenge of parenting can be bittersweet. Diapers to change and tears to wipe away. Picnics, birthdays and ball games to watch and play. In the blink of an eye, he donned cap and gown. His quest for adventure meant he would soon be leaving town. He felt alive with the sand between his toes and surfboard in hand. The roar of the ocean was with him as he left to serve our homeland. His mother continued her silent prayers for his body and soul. The safe return of this grown, young man had become her goal. Her quiet vigi...

The band One Republic has so many great songs, and 'I Lived' is one of them. From the time my brother was a little boy, he had an indomitable spirit. Boundaries were meant to be broken, challenges charged head on, and fear seemed to be a foreign concept to our family's curly, reddish-brown-haired and twinkly-eyed tyke. This stanza from this song is Chris personified, "I owned every second that this world could give, I saw so many places, the things that I did, yeah, with every broken bone, I swear I lived".  My mom shared that she was recently asked, "does it get any easier?", by another mother who is just learning to live with a broken heart. No, was the simple answer. Twelve years into her grief journey, my mom says, "we visit the hurt and the pain, but we cannot afford to stay there. It will make you go crazy. Focus on the love and the memories!" With that, it seems fitting on my brother's special day to share memories from birthdays pas...