The Baby of the Family

If you are the youngest sibling in your family, you know that being the “baby” can be a curse or a gift. Fifty-seven years ago today I was replaced as the baby of the family by my brother Rick. I probably wasn’t too happy about that. You see, being the baby has its advantages. You are the center of attention (at least for the first few years), everyone thinks you are so cute (and I could have done cute for quite a while), Mom and Dad let you get away with murder, you have the advantage of learning from the mistakes of your older siblings, and you have your pick of bedrooms when they leave the house.

BUT… I also concede it has its disadvantages. Aside from FOREVER being called the “baby” of the family, you’re not in as many pictures because Mom is too busy to take them, you get hand-me-down clothes, your older siblings don’t want to hang around with you while you’re still a kid, and you’re all alone after they leave the house with just Mom and Dad to contend with. It’s a tossup as to which is better, but for me, I’m glad my baby brother came along.

Richard, Ricky, Rick was born on July 6, 1953. He’s a Monday’s Child, meaning he’s “fair of face.” I agree. He was an adorable baby that grew into a handsome man. To get there though, he went through a transformation as you will note from the pictures I’ve posted here.

It wasn’t always fun for me having a baby brother. Every now and then Mom would ask me to watch Ricky (we called him Ricky when he was little) or to take him with me as I went out to play. I didn’t like him tagging along with me and my friends. Sometimes he could be a pain. There's a picture of me and Ricky sitting on bench and I’m holding some kind of stick in my hand. It makes me wonder why I was holding that stick. Surely it wasn’t to… umm… no, umm... I never hit my baby brother… NEVER! ; D

Rick has always loved music. There’s a picture of him when he was 3 or 4 years old playing a plastic guitar. He is in his underwear (ala Tom Cruise in Risky Business) holding that little guitar like the rock star he later hoped to become. I believe Mom still has that picture somewhere. I wish I had it to post here. It would have made you smile. Little did we know what an influence that guitar would have on him.

Rick took guitar playing very seriously in his teens and got pretty good at it. Through the years he was part of several bands, singing and using his natural born talent playing the guitar. He never got the big break he was looking for, but I don’t think he’s ever stopped dreaming.

In August, 1969, when Rick was just 16, his love for music and to see those who performed it compelled him to take off with some friends and journey to Woodstock which, as we all know now, was a history making event. And he didn’t even tell Mom or Dad he was going!! What reckless abandon he had!!

As we grew into adults, our relationship as brother and sister wasn’t as close as it could have been. After I got married there were many years where I didn’t have much contact with Rick at all. We “traveled” in different circles. I was busy living my life and he was busy living his. To make matters worse, I had moved away from Centereach which made it harder for us to stay connected.

THEN, in 2008 the entire family came together to celebrate our Mom’s 80th birthday. It was during this visit that I connected with my brother in a way that had eluded us before this. Maybe it was because I was seeing my brother in a different light. Instead of the baby brother I used to picture in my mind, the one who played in a rock band and had dreams of becoming famous, the one who ran off on a whim to Woodstock in search of rock stars, the one who seemed not to have a care in the world and loved to joke around; I was seeing him as a grownup version of himself, one who is settled down, who works hard for a living to provide for his family, who still appreciates music in all forms, who loves life to the fullest and continues to be a fun loving guy. Whatever it was, I am thankful for the change in our relationship.

Today, Rick is married to a wonderful lady named Debbie who takes good care of him and keeps him from getting out of line. I am happy to have her as my sister-in-law. While he seems more settled down, he has not lost the quirkiness and humor that make him who he is. Like when he calls you on the phone and he uses this funny sounding voice to say “hello” and “goodbye.” I can’t explain it, but if you’ve heard it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. It cracks me up!! Or if you hear him sing, it never sounds like he’s quite serious about it. He starts to sing then goes off on an improvised riff in a falsetto voice. This always makes me laugh. And oh how he loves his hot sauce!! I’m surprised he has any taste buds left!!!

I have many fond memories of me and my brother Rick, but there is one memory that will be forever in my heart. On a visit to see family in 1993, Rick whisked me away from the house to take me to see the movie Jurassic Park. All it took was him asking me if I had seen it and me answering no. The next thing I knew we were in the car and on our way without telling anyone we were going!! I thoroughly enjoyed watching the movie with him and I think he enjoyed watching me watch the film. I clearly remember him laughing as I jumped out of my skin and screamed out loud as a raptor tried to get at one of the actors in the movie. You do remember how intense Jurassic Park was, don’t you? What a great time that was for me!! What made it really special was that it was just me and my baby brother doing something together, just the two of us. At the time I don’t think I realized what a wonderful memory Rick was creating for me. And for that I am grateful.

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY

RICK!

Love and Hugs, Sis