Have I mentioned how much I love my brother?

I have been fortunate enough to have very realistic dreams about my parents after they passed away. I believe my dreams are a way for my parents tell me that everything is going to be alright and remind me of how lucky I am even when I am having really tough days.

Last week I had a very realistic emotional dream about my family. In my dream my brother, sister and I were planning on going to a concert together. A few hours before we were going to leave my parents told us that they were going to die at the end of the night. My siblings and I were in complete shock. We didn’t know what to do or how they wanted to spend their last night.

Michael ended up convincing my dad to take his ticket to the concert, so Jackie and I could spend my dad’s last night with him. Michael could then spend my mom’s last night with her. My brother somehow was able to trade places with my mom because at the end of the night she was walking toward Jackie and me. We couldn’t believe it. Michael sacrificed his life, so my mom could live and be with us.

I woke up the next morning feeling so proud of my brother. I wasn’t sure why I was feeling that way until I was leaving for work, and the entire dream came to me when I was walking to my car. I couldn’t believe what I was remembering.

Nobody wanted to see my mom suffering during her on and off battle with breast cancer, but if it was possible to trade places with her Michael would, no doubt. He is one of the most selfless people I know. He was very close to both of my parents, but the bond he had with my mom was something words couldn’t even begin to describe. Anyone that saw them together would be able to see it from a mile away.

The one and only time I really saw my mom yell at my brother for something, she started crying right after and immediately apologized to him. Just looking at him made her feel bad. After witnessing this act from the other room, I was in pure shock because this turn of events never took place when I was getting in trouble. If anything her looking at me made her even more upset, but I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles!

Losing my mom was one of the hardest things we had to go through, but no one could have predicted us losing my dad three years later. After that Mikey had big shoes to fill because my dad was the one of the strongest guys in the world. He is doing a great job and my parents would be so proud of him!

When I was cleaning our house a few years ago I found a letter from Santa from when I was about eight years old. So that put Michael at the age of five. I’ve always thought it was crazy that this was the only letter from Santa that my parents saved because of the comments they left for my brother.

“Michael – Keep practicing your ABC’s. You are doing great. Remember that you are the man of the house when daddy’s away. Protect the girls.”

Who knew that they meant the last two sentences literally. Less than 20 years later Michael has become “the man of the house” and has protected us. Now, I of course am saving the letter because I am turning into my mom, saving nearly everything because everything carries such a special meaning.

When I am having a bad day, I remind myself of how lucky I am. I had two great parents, I have two amazing siblings and sometimes my dreams help bring us all back together again.

- Jenna