Tomorrow is a Red-Letter day within the extended McClain clan. February first is my little brother’s birthday. Rick is five years younger than me and as the youngest son he was of course spoiled beyond all reason. Of course, this continued even after he was grown, much to my consternation.

During those early years both Rick and I fulfilled our allotted family roles as best we could. He, being the baby of the family, did what all little brothers do…he followed me around and made a pest of himself at every opportunity. As for myself, well I spent a lot of energy making his life a living hell. The practical jokes I pulled on him during those years are the stuff of family legend.

You see, in the early years my little brother was one of those unfortunates who were geometrically challenged people….he was as round as he was tall….which afforded me with a wealth of material for not only jokes, but pranks as well. For instance, I am well known for having snapped a candid shot of Rick, about age four, stealing the cat’s bowl of milk and drinking it. Those were truly wonderful days for me.

Then, a horrible thing happened; Rick’s body mass corrected itself during his teenage years and suddenly he was three inches taller than me and fifty pounds heavier and football coaches loved him.

So it came to pass that while I was out in the world, working for a living in the big city, Rick was becoming a big man on campus in high school. As much as it pains me to admit it, Rick deserved all the accolades he received for his athletic talent. He was one of the best linemen, both offense and defense, that I have ever seen on the high school level.

By his senior year, Rick had major college recruiters watching him closely. Then the unthinkable happened, he blew out his knee during his senior year and all the scholarships went out the window. Being from a poor family, this meant that college was now out of the question so my little brother settled down in our hometown, married his high school sweetheart, and quietly lived his life.

Now this might have been the end of the story, as it is for so many poor young people but Rick had other ideas. At the tender age of forty, he went back to school. He gave up his job at the power company and entered the college world. He had the courage to follow his dream and become a teacher and a coach. In the intervening years he has both taught and coached at the college and high school level successfully.

He and his wife Linda have raised three wonderful kids, the youngest of which is in college and is realizing the dream his father never got to live…he’s playing college football.

All of this brings me to the reason I am writing about my little brother on the eve of his fifty-eighth birthday. Having known this man his whole life and having watched as he grew to manhood and overcome many adversities, I can honestly say that I am proud to be his brother. I am proud to call him, not only brother, but friend. He has something that I don’t give out easily….He has my complete respect and I promise you….few men can say that.

Happy Birthday Little Brother, I love you. Oh and always remember to keep your sack of fireworks closed. Never know when “someone” might drop a lit punk in that thing! My most famous prank!

How the hell did we get so old?