Something very strange happened to me yesterday that I never would have expected. I got an email from my brother:
matt- i am turning 40 on monday and i want to go on a rafting trip.
let me know your suggestions- (first timer)
thanks
Pauly
your little bro.
What makes this email so strange is that Paul and I have not talked to each other for three years. Now, there is a reason for this that I won't get into, this is, afterall, a heartwarming post. However, we are both rather stubborn when we believe we are right. But what generated this melting of the cold hearts, believe it or not, came from the Blogosphere--read, all of you.
By now, you all know I love whitewater rafting. After getting to know Charlie from The Happy Blank Day Blog, I asked him if he would draw a cartoon for my blog. Instead, he offered to create a "Rafting Holiday" cartoon, and publish it on his own blog. This is the cartoon that he created for me for this special holiday:
Pretty cool,huh? Love the hat! The hat and the glasses and the beard were my look circa 1996 on my first rafting trip on the South Fork American River in California with All Outdoors Whitewater Rafting. (You can see the picture that inspired this cartoon by reading the MTMD Classic Post: Celebrating 10 Years of Rafting!)
Anyway, the cartoon that Charlie did is amazing and I was super excited, so I emailed it to everyone in my email address book. My brother Paul got that email too. I don't know what happened next that led from him receiving the email to sending me the email posted above asking me for suggestions about where to go whitewater rafting; but I can recognize an olive branch when I see one. So I called Paul, we talked for a little bit, and I offered to set him and his family up for whatever kind of whitewater rafting experience he decides he wants to take later in May or June for his 40th birthday present from me to him.
(This picture was taken at Paul's wedding in Chicago 12 years ago. Paul is on the right, I'm the one sporting the beard.)
So now after three years, once again it would appear, we are brothers again. And it took the Blog Explosion Blogging Community to make it happen. Thank you all so very much!
And thanks for reading.
Brothers, Human Interest Stories, Families, Reconciliation, Stories of Reconciliation, Sibling Rivalry, Blogging, Bloggers
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12 comments:
Hey matt you're a pretty good
looking guy.Thanks for the credits
you are a man of your word...
and that's a good thing. Don't be a stranger.
Very cool story!
That was very brave of you Mr. or Ms. Anonymous. You can talk to Hamburger yourself. I'm actually helping him, at his request, increase traffic to his blog. And neither he nor I are profiting with credits. They work out to a wash. If you don't want to vote for me in BotB Battles, don't. But don't start butting into things and making judgements and engaging in namecalling when you have absolutely no clue what it is you are talking about.
Well, don't you look handsome all dressed up like a grown up! I don't ever remember kicking your butt here so we'll see. About that ABBA, that was the year I graduated HS so I should remember it. I'll look it up. And my blog? I inserted the blinky thingys at the posts but the header....that was a gift. EzineWriter sent it to me. I had never had any communication with him, ever! Out of nowhere he just e-mails it to me saying he had seen it in his minds eye since he saw my blog. What a nice guy and a thoughtful gift.
Rock On and Good Luck!
Peace................
Amazing to get an email after so long - and it reunites you. That's fantastic.
I've ran into Charlie from the Happy Blank Blog - cool sit e & fella.
I appreciate your comment earlier but don't count your chickens before they hatch - I've lost a lot of battles lately.... and no I haven't watched LOTR - none of them. Yeah, odd, I suppose. :)
Congrats! See, I told you... ;)
That's awesome! Family is important so I'm glad you guys are well on the way to mending the rift. Great post! It gave me a warm fuzzy!
I LOVE your blog design!
I just found your blog, and haven't followed the story, but I'm so happy it turned out so well! : )
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I am the Quest Master. I bear ill tidings: the Northern Chalice of Blog Wisdom has been lost. You have been handpicked to join the quest to recover the Northern Chalice.
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Blog Quest Version 1: The Search for the Northern Chalice of Wisdom
The Cartoonist They Call the Stik
The Pink Shoe
All-Night.Org
Jaws Was A Lady
Pointless Drivel
Poodle and Dog Blog
Perspectives of a Nomad
Jetting Through Life
Meltwater. Torrents. Meanderings. Delta.
Mystickal Incense and More blog
TNCHICK.Com
the Flip Side
Jane Loves Tarzan
Full Metal Photography
Living With Multiple Personalities
Happy blank Day blog
Utenzi blog
This Circus I Call My Life
Jazz Coffee
The Dramedy of Life
My Opinion On Sports
That's beautiful! I'm so happy for you! Rifts in families suck! I'm glad yours has lessened.
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