Sad Day Brings Memories

Today was spent glued to the television choking back tears as I absorbed the love poured out to the world for an amazing entertainer and humanitarian. Too often we as a public are bombarded with celebrity innuendo from media spell casters and are swept away in their spell. I too for years had doubt and negative thoughts about Micheal Jackson, but as his love and charitable givings was poured out on the stage of his memorial tribute my heart melted.
I could not help feeling the pain his family was going through, it brought back painfull memories of the family members I have lost through the years. The most recent loss was by best friend, my mentor, my Brother.
Jerry was my eldest by two years, we were always the best of friends and never ashamed to tell each other how much we loved one another. He was my tutor in grade school, my body guard in high school and my buddy in the Navy. Our cowboy playing days in the hills of good old Pagosa often found us on opposite sides. Jerry always wanted to be the good guy with the white hat and I would be the outlaw or Indian. One day while acting out our roles, Jerry hide behind the old out house and as he peeked around the corner to shoot me with his rubber band pistol, I let him have it between the eyes with my Red Ryder Daisy BB gun. Luckily the BB only glanced off his forehead but left him a tell all sign for my dad to see.
Many times when I would be trounced on by some bully in school Jerry would be right there to pull them off. When he left to join the Navy my heart was broken. Oh, I had a few friends I could hang out with but no one watche over me like my big bro. as a result I managed to get myself into trouble. As soon I could get old enough to join the Navy I too left good old Pagosa. I was really surprised when I learned my basic training would be in Great Lakes, Il. Thats where Jerry was going to training school, when he found out I was there he came to visit me often and of course help through the rough periods.
Whenever his ship and mine entered into any naval port the word would get around that the Willett boys were in town! Jerry's ship was in the Atol Islands when the A bomb was tested in operation Redwing and he stood on the deck as the mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
Jerry suffered for a long time with lung problems COPD and passed away in 2008, time goes by slowly when a broken heart is mending and I hope mine soon will, it has taken time with the loss of my parents and my first wife. The old heart is full of scars from days of sorrow just as I know the hearts of the Jackson family will be.