The End of the Year of Firsts

It's funny how time has a way of sneaking up on you.


Let me begin today by sharing a story. I think I was about ten (although my dad would say I was younger) when a tradition between Lennie and I was born. Christmas was always my favorite holiday growing up. Why wouldn't it be?.....time with family, an abundance of food and of course lots and lots of presents! In the days leading up to Christmas one particular year, I noticed a rather large package under the tree and was excited to find out that the gift was for me and from my brother! At that time, the biggest packages of course translated into the best gifts. This was a fact that I constantly reminded Lennie of, along with continuously asking him what was in the box. Lennie kept telling me it was a rock and I of course did not believe him. After several days of this, Lennie found this absurd, annoying and took it upon himself to teach me a lesson.

Christmas morning came and I rushed down the stairs (well, after my mom made us sit on the stairs and take our traditional Christmas morning picture) and there the gift was....still waiting for me under the tree! It was bigger than any of the other gifts there and fairly heavy too. In fact, I think I recall having to slide it out from underneath the tree. I wanted to open it right away but Lennie made me wait a few "rounds" of opening gifts (if you have heard about the Mann family Christmases you understand this concept).

Finally, it was time. I tore off the wrapping paper, grabbed the scissors from my dad, cut the tape, opened the box and pulled out all the newspaper that Lennie had stuffed in the top of the box.......and there.......waiting for me......was......... of course.......a rock. Yep, that's right, a rock. That's it, just a plain ol' heavy rock from outside on my parents lawn. Of course everyone, except me, began to laugh. After all the excitement and anticipation, you can imagine I was anything but amused.

Lennie turned to me and said, "guess that will teach you a lesson." The lesson of course was not only is it impolite, even when you are 10 years old to constantly ask someone what they are giving you as a gift, but also that the best gifts don't necessarily come in the biggest packages.

A simple, but sincere sentiment. One that I did not immediately appreciate.


In the years that followed Lennie and I exchanging rock gifts became a tradition. I made him a rock paperweight with pictures of our family on it, he gave me a rock waterfall, I gave him a pet rock, he gave me a rock votive holder, we wrapped up rocks from our various travels and gave them to one another. We were always out to "one up" eachother with the rock gifts. This tradition continued through birthdays, graduations and many, many Christmases.

This was Lennie's way.....showing you how much he cared, more in the things that he did than what he said.

My last rock gift to him was at the suggestion of my father. A rock from underneath the barn that he spent the summer of 2006 helping my dad take down.

I am fortunate enough to call my family my friends. And I miss my friend just as I am sure there are many of you reading this that miss your friend too. I have already received several text messages and emails with people saying that my family is in their thoughts today. Please know that you are in our thoughts today too, because we know that we were not the only ones that lost someone last year.

As the year of firsts comes to an end, I must say how not only how much I miss my friend, but also how much I miss my brother. I miss his infectious laugh, I miss his sense of humor, I miss his goofiness, I miss how excited he would be about nothing at all and how he would get everyone else just as excited about whatever it was, I miss his quiet unassuming way, I miss his "one armed hugs," where he came up to you for no reason, stood beside you, wrapped an arm around you and gave you a little squeeze, I miss his nonsensical emails, I miss his crazy parties, I miss us being referred to as Consuela and Gonzalez in the Kramer household, I miss hearing stories of his adventures, I miss him forwarding pictures from wherever his work (and sometimes lack thereof) took him, I miss him singing karaoke and doing his crazy dances, I miss him saying "great googlymoogly," I miss his sincerity, I miss hearing him say, "you'll never believe what happened" and his stories that followed, I miss having talks with him about day to day things, silly things and having our occasionally heart to heart....which usually occurred after a few drinks.

I will miss us being Sadie's "crazy" aunt and uncle together.

And as silly as the tradition became......I will even miss the rocks.