Love Is All That Matters

There are many of you that know me and know of this fine young man, but have never met him. Let me introduce you to him. This is Daniel, my brother who falls in line right after me. He and I have been pretty close with one another growing up, with those occassional hiccups that most siblings have with one another.

This is Daniel during his junior year of high school in the photo shoot right before senior prom. (Quite the stud to be a junior and asked by a senior to prom). It was within the year of this picture that Daniel decided to take life into his own hands and began a different journey of life that most people don't walk. I only know the tip of the iceburg what this journey has been like for him, but have appreciated his willingness and desire to keep in contact and share his life with me and others.

Daniel possesses many great attributes. He is very artistically talented, which he gets from our mother. He is very good at expressing his feelings or thoughts through his art. Daniel has a big heart for many different things. He loves animals; he'd rescue and give a home to all of them if he could. He has always been nurturing this way. Often times people question his kind-heartedness because of the rough crowd he has ran with for several years. I am grateful that through all the difficulties he's been through that his kind heart still shines through a bit.

The picture to the right is the most recent picture my family has received of him. Quite the difference from the previous pictures and quite the difference from the last time I saw him, several years ago. When I was able to see him he had a buzzed head, the same goutee but thinner, and didn't have the sleeve tattoo on his right forearm. He looks a bit hardened in this picture, which is not surprising because of his path in life over the past six years. But through my correspondence with him he is striving to be the best he knows how to be. He is setting great goals in education, career, and family areas. He desires to lead a good, clean life, have healthy, strong, trusting relationships, and be successful in something he loves so he can support a family. He doesn't differ much from you and me.

Daniel has taught me many things over the years. He has taught me the most powerful lesson about forgiveness, which I still grow upon today. He has taught me about life in perspectives and ways that I had never even thought of or considered. Daniel has taught me how to be more open and communicate on a greater level in order to establish trust. He has taught me not to be judgemental of others because I have never walked in their shoes and chances are I wouldn't want to because to each his own in the trials we go through that are specific to each individual for a purpose. Daniel he has taught me that no matter what you've done in your life there is always room for love.

Although Daniel and I have led very different lifestyles and have many differing beliefs, we aren't so different from one another. He is my brother and I still love him. It's not what is on the outside that matters, but what is on the inside.