September 9, 2010 @ 6:02 am | Filed under: Family
“I’ve never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind, the discipline. I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour – this greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.” – Vince Lombardi
What’s that saying, the more things change, the more they stay the same?
Well, times have certainly changed in America’s high schools across the country. Technology literally resides in each student’s fingers in the forms of cell phones and iPods. Slang has developed to a whole new, unprecedented level. And traditional blackboards have been replaced with uber-wonderful laptops and PowerPoint presentations.
But one thing remains the same.
Friday night lights.
That’s right, are you ready for some foooooootbaaaaaalll?
High school football at its finest. Coaching at its funnest. At least from my perspective…that of one of the coach’s siblings.
I don’t get to attend many of Kevin’s games but that doesn’t in any way at all diminish the amount of immense pride I take in what he does. The relationships and levels of trust he cultivates with his players and students inspires me. There’s nothing quite like looking “up” to your younger brother.
I love it.
While my mind and heart still hold mental snapshots of him as a skinny kid who had crushes on my friends, bruises and mosquito bites on his legs, and was almost always drinking grape Kool-aid, the little brother who can be found on the field most Friday nights is a man.
A man I’m so proud to say is my brother. Strong (maybe even sometimes headstrong), hardworking (he stays in project mode), and irresistably good-looking (just ask any of my friends), he’s grown up to be a husband and father (and coach) that I’m proud of.
Here in the Wilder home, we’re cheering on the Berkner Rams this fall season…and Team Rogers!
October 8, 2008 @ 4:19 am | Filed under: Family
Your siblings are the only people in the world who know what it’s like to have been brought up the way you were.”
– Betsy Cohen
_____________________________
On October 8, 1972, my parents presented me with what was, and still is, the best gift they could have given me.
After four-and-a-half years as an only (though amazingly unspoiled:) child, I became a big sister.
“Saucy” became my new name (a cross between Staci and Sissy) and Kevin became my constant.
I hear tales of sibling rivalry, fierce competition, and untold jealousy and, I’m sorry, I just can’t even imagine.
Maybe it’s the fact that there was one of each gender, or maybe it’s the age difference, but with just a few exceptions Kevin and I have remained in each other’s corner.
He was my constant.
He humored me by taking on the voice of Ken (and Ken’s buddies) whenever I had a whim to play Barbies.
He understood that Linda and Susan were real (well, in MY mind, at least) and made room for them in the backseat of the car on the way to church.
In turn,he somehow very easily convinced me to play GI Joe and Evil Knievel with him. And I’ve sat in on more than one Lego-building marathan, let me tell you.
He was my constant.
When I was younger, he was the one I’d hurry home from school to share tales of my day with.
When he started to kindergarten, I was the big fifth grader who’d routinely peek into his classroom just to make sure he was all right.
I graduated from high school and promptly left him at home to experience the “only child” treatment. But even that separation didn’t sever our connection.
A few years later, when I had two small children and was staying nights alone, Kevin would show up at my place on Friday nights. After tucking Nate and Jordan into bed, I’d order pizza and then my baby brother and I would watch a movie, eat pizza, and bake (I did the baking, we both did the eating) cookies.
Looking back now, I see that, though we were in very different stages of life, it was Kevin that helped me through some difficult times. He was my friend, kept me company, and loved me no matter what.
He was my constant.
And more than that, he IS my contant.
He’s grown to be a man that I admire on so many different levels. A loving husband, devoted father, and man of integrity, I’m proud to call him one of the men in my life.
While I’ll always be the eldest (though it’s looking more and more like I won’t be the grayest!) he’s now my contemporary.
Life is funny that way, isn’t it? You grow up with someone, seeing spaghetti plastered on their face, hearing their wails of anguish when you steal (or hide or break) a toy, witnessing countless skinned knees and swollen mosquito bites, finding comfort in the soft sound of their breathing next to you on road trips.
Then you wake up one day and you’re both adults. How in the world does that happen, I ask you?
He is my constant, the gift given to me 36 years ago today. A gift that, although I loved him to pieces way back then, I value even more today.
Like branches on a tree we grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one. Each of our lives will always be a special part of the other.
Happy birthday, Kevin!
Love, Saucy
