A Brother's Support

Last Thursday night I received a phone call. It was 11:30pm, and I was unwinding and enjoying the fact that I didn't have to get up for work on my Friday off! It was one of those times that when the phone rings, you know immediately that something is wrong. The rest of the world is usually asleep - at least people in my age bracket - and if not, then my friends know that I'm usually asleep. As it turns out, it was my 'sand'. My fraternity brother who I crossed with, who was my best friend in college, and who was my best man in my wedding. We usually don't talk except for every 4 or 5 months or so, and we've only seen each other once in the last 5 years - at a reunion last December. He lives in Atlanta, and me being in the DMV area is the reason why. The conversation went something like this (I'm calling him Rufus because he doesn't know I'm writing this - Rufus has significant meaning to him, LOL):

Me: Hello?
Rufus: Sherm?

Me: What's up, man?
Rufus (starting to cry): My mom is dying. She only has a few days to live.

Me (stunned): Wha? Whe? Huh??? Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!
Rufus: I don't know why I called you, but I just figured I could.

The rest of the hour and a half conversation will remain private, between two friends, two brothers, as it should be. I will only say that there were lots of tears, some laughs, and a simple "I love you, brother" as we hung up. But that's not what this post is about.

I've posted blogs about my fraternity before, and this is another. So, that being said, feel free to stop reading here.

If you're still with me, I just want to share what happened following that conversation. The next morning I woke up, my dear friend still heavily on my heart and mind, and I sent a text message to the now men who we spent so much time with in our college days. We don't hardly see each other, or even talk to each other, on a regular basis, but I felt that they would want to know what was going on with one of our own. There is a group of about 12 of us that remain closer than ever, even though we are spread out across the country. I received a lot of return messages thanking me for filling them in, and asking me to pass on everyone's well wishes.

His mother passed that afternoon, while he was in route to get home. With arrangements made, and our friend hurting, we all decided to go in on flowers. Nothing big, nothing extravagant, but it is something. This also is not easy to pull off with people scattered all over the country! Thanks to technology, it was able to get done. Again, this doesn't seem like much, but what this was, was brothers pulling together for one of our own. Most of us never met his mother. I, fortunately, was able to, and am very thankful for that! Despite this, and despite that we are all separated by 1000 miles, we all came together through technology to just say, "we're here, my friend. We may not see each other, we may not talk as often as we would all like. But, in your time of need, we'll all be here together, forever."

We haven't all lived in the same city for 10 years now. Despite this, I am always moved at how close my brothers always remain in each other's hearts. Distance can definitely never separate the very special bond that we all share. It is not by coincidence that nearly every one of my fraternity brothers who has gotten married, has had another fraternity brother as their best man. It's not always about the partying. It is truly a lifelong bond that says, "we will always be one." In pain, in celebration; in failure, and in success. When one of us goes through something, we will all go through it...together.