Rides in the Mustang

My oldest brother and I have always been close. When I was little and we would stay at my grandparents house I wouldn't want to go to bed so Johnny would come in the room and sit next to me and tell me bedtime stories. They were always stories that he made up and the princess was never the one in distress but always the one who saved the day. Oh and the dragons were almost always friendly and protected the princess. Occasionally there would be a bad dragon but not very often. The stories were definitely catered to the audience.

As we got older we had our differences, he's six years older then me so there were times we were too caught up in our own lives to spend time to much each other. Now days it's rare that we go more then a few days without talking at least once. He makes sure to check in on me and I make sure to tell him when he's wrong.

We've always had a pretty good relationship but probably my favorite memories were when I was a young teenager and Johnny was in his early twenties. He owned a '66 Mustang for a few years and he would often take me with him when he'd go into town. Sometimes he was taking me to church events or dropping me off somewhere but often we were just running around doing stuff.

It was during those car rides that we took time to just relax and enjoy hanging out. We'd have long conversations about what was going on in our lives. He'd encourage me with whatever dream I was currently pursuing of "what do I want to be when I grow up". I'd tease him about girls he liked. We listened to tons of country music. And we laughed a lot. Sometimes we'd argue or debate or complain. Mostly we'd just roll the windows down, let the wind blow my hair every which way and just enjoy hanging out.

There's something special about hanging out with siblings. These are the people that are your family and that will never change. There's a trust there and a bond that even when it's tested won't be broken. There's something wonderful about those relationships and memories, like mine with Johnny riding in the Mustang, those are definitely memories I will always treasure.

Enjoy the people in your life. God places them there for a reason.