My brother's been off at college at Norwich University up in Vermont. He goes to the military side of the college. Most of his expenses are paid for with his scholarship. Currently he's double majoring with the studies of war and peace and with military sciences. In high school he took as many AP classes as possible, he never had a study hall --he even took four years of Latin, only five other kids in his year made it through four years of the class. On his own free time he learned German and Italian.

 

My brother's probably one of the strongest people I know. He's willing to throw his life away to fight for his country. He threw away his social life to dedicate to his studies. He's willing to get up before the break of dawn to do physical training, go to classes, and do more training afterward. This summer, he won't be sleeping in, going to the beach, or hanging out with friends. Instead he'll be going through a nine weak course over combat training and flight course. There had been people in his graduating year in high school that went to the military academy in our state. According to my mom, and my history teacher last year, it the conditions aren't as rough as they are up in Norwich. Those people had dropped out within the first week. At Norwich, a majority of the rooks that came in dropped out of the course and switched to the civilian side of the college. My brother still remains though.

 

To others, he seems to have his life on track --and he does. But it's only been a few months since he left for college --since mid-August. Pretty much every time he's come home, whether for a few days or a week for a holiday, something's happened. Someone's died almost every time he's come home.

 

When he came home for the weekend one time in October, we held my grandfather's funeral, who had died only a week prior. On Thanksgiving our dog's arthritis got worse, we have to keep getting him new medication so he can at least get around to walk. The vets think there's something wrong with his liver and kidneys, since he hasn't been eating lately.

 

Today, the day he gets out on Christmas break, my mom finds his pet bird --his first pet-- dead. There was no one else home but my mom and me, and she didn't have the courage to take her dead body out of the room, so I was left to do it. We put her, the bird, in a shoe box and we currently have it out in the garage so the body won't smell. We're going to bury her tomorrow. My mom called my dad on his cellphone, when he was on the way home with my brother, and told him the news.

 

My brother, he doesn't handle death well, especially our grandfather's. The fact that this was his first pet, I can tell it's going to be hard on him. Heck, I didn't even like the dang bird, and I was crying my eyes out when I had to carry the body out.

 

This is the second time out of the three times he's been home that someone's died. My mom, and myself included, are worried about our dog. He's getting worse by the day. There are times when he'll eat, and walk around, but we don't think he'll be able to make another year. We just hope he can be with us this Christmas and New Years.

If he does die, which I hope he doesn't, I think my brother will crack. Aside from his bird, the dog was the only other pet he liked. When we would leave to go to the high school, he'd give our dog a pat on the head, and ignored our other pets.

 

I just don't want coming home to be hard for my brother. He didn't have a lot of time to get over my grandfather's death, and I don't want him to spend Christmas break grieving over his bird, and worrying about our dog. I just want him to have a normal vacation for once this year.

dude that suck for u and nr bro i wish him luck and gratutde

Firstly, it's great that you care so much about your brother.

It's so sad that he can't have regular good vacation, because he probably deserves it.

The only other thing I can say is just be there for him, as a sister and a friend.

Cheer him up if he seems down, and spend time with him. Get him to do things he enjoyed that he doesn't have time for during school and training. Just try to make it an enjoyable Christmas. c:

<3

I'm surprised as myself, since my brother and I aren't close siblings. When I saw him come home, his eyes were really red, and my dad was in tears. I heard my brother crying up in his room, since our bedrooms are next to each other. He didn't really want to sleep in his room last night, so I let him sleep in the game room where I keep all my things. I had to move some stuff around so there was room for him.

 

We decided not to bury Era, the bird, but instead try to find a place to cremate her so we can put her on the shelf with all of the other pets we cremated when they got put to sleep/died. I hope they can find a place, since Era meant a lot to my dad and my brother. They were the only humans she liked.

 

My mom told me something really.. eerie yesterday. Before she found Era dead on the floor, she saw there was no mess. No bird poo, no feathers lying around (since we keep her cage open and she flies around the room and such. But what she did find, was one of Era's down-feathers next to my brother's computer mouse. When my brother is home, he usually spends his time either at his computer or, watching some war documentary. It was like a farewell gift for my brother. We took the feather and put it in her stocking which we took down and plan to put with her ashes if we can get her cremated.

 

We're not really sure on how she died. She was a young bird, only around eight years old. She was a Cockatiel, which are supposed to live around fifteen to twenty years of age. My theory is that she died of a broken heart. Before we moved to the house we live in now, we kept Era's cage out in the open --right where our cats could get her. When we moved, we kept her in my brother's room, since she was his responsibility. She laid eggs for days on end. She was distraught when my brother went away for college, and was extremely happy when he came home to visit. I guess she just couldn't take seeing him come and go. My dad said that she'd been acting weird for the past few days. So we're never sure on how she died.

 

And to Koko: he does deserve a good, relaxing vacation. That's why I'm hoping nothing else happens Christmas break, he needs to rest. For now, I'm going to let him have his space, let it sink in about what happened. If I know my brother as well as I do, I know he doesn't want me to comfort him. He's still sore about something I did a few months before he left. I'm not sure if I could comfort him anyways. I was never close to Era, never really liked her either. If I told him to do what I do when I'm grieving over a lost one, he'd just say no to it. After all, he's not into hugging a cat.

 

And to K3YBL4D3 KHIGHT: Thanks for your support. I don't think my brother needs luck though, he's got the brains he needs. As for gratitude.... I'm not exactly sure why he would have your gratitude... you don't know him and therefore don't have the need to thank him or feel appreciation for him. So I'm a bit confused there.