A Christmas Gift

In my family there were six of us kids. I was number two after my older brother, and then after a seven year lull, my brother Kevin came along followed by my three sisters. This story is about Kevin.

Kevin was in that gray area where he was too young to hang out with his older brothers and he was too old to hang out with his younger sisters when they arrived in the family. As his nearest older brother the task of watching him in his early years was often mine. I didn't mind because he was a good kid and he was my brother.

Kevin, by luck of birth, missed the opportunity to spend summers at my Grandma's farm as I had been privileged to do for five or more summers. Kevin had to learn his life lessons alone for the most part with occasional mentoring from me, because I assumed the role of "Go to guy" for his inquiries about life's mysteries.

When I enlisted in the service I left home when Kevin was only 11 and I didn't return for four years. I missed a lot of his formative years and when I finally returned to my hometown in Upper Michigan Kevin was 16 years old and in High School. I had no real closeness any longer because I was an adult with a family and he was still a boy growing into maturity, but I still wanted to keep some bond with him even if I was not part of his inner circle.

I determined that he should have a great Christmas that first year of my return so I gave him Stevens 20 gauge shotgun and a Buck sheath knife in hopes that we could at least enjoy some hunting adventures as brothers. He was overjoyed and we actually got to go rabbit hunting that season and he used his new gun.

Over the next few years we kept in touch and when Kevin graduated, got married and had kids we even worked together for awhile in a machine shop until I moved on to other jobs. Kevin would bring his two daughters around and it was obvious he loved his role as a father. We sometimes hunted together for deer, rabbits and partridge when we could and he was a natural with that 20 gauge, usually bringing home more rabbits or birds than me at day's end.

In the summer of "80" Kevin became ill and was hospitalized for tests and treatment. He was diagnosed with cancer but his outlook seemed hopeful. I often went with him for his "Chemo" or checkups but it was becoming painfully clear that he was not healing. We went deer hunting that November but he was too sick to hunt so I sat with him and we talked of past hunts and silly stuff only brothers talk about. By the next March he was gone and I was struck with the pain of losing a close family member and friend.

After awhile his wife asked me if I wanted that old 20 gauge back as a remembrance of Kevin and I graciously accepted. I cleaned it and put it in my gun cabinet with the hope of someday hunting with it but over the years it was always my guns that accompianed me into the field. Kevin's gun stayed hidden in the cabinet.

A few years ago when my niece, Kevin's oldest daughter, told me her son was getting interested in hunting I decided it was time to bring the 20 gauge out of hiding. I gave it to Kevin's grandson in the hope that he would get as much pleasure out of it as his grandfather had so many years ago.

I have had the pleasure of giving that gun as a gift twice now and I feel Kevin would really appreciate my second gift.

Chris