Tony Baloney

May I introduce to you my brother Tony. An extraordinary man with a heart of gold.

He was seven when I was born. The closest thing I had to a playmate. I remember this imaginery stick he use to play with and the sound effects that came with it. When I got a little older, he would pretend beating me up. We use to have this fantasy of walking into a supermarket and starting a fight and destroying the store. I know it sounds silly but it was our little secret.

Fast forward....Tony experienced the normal rebel teenage years but was always a good kid. After high school he attended the University of Oregon and majored in Politics. He wanted to be the president of Peru and change the world. Tony was always considered a very smart man and a grand visionary. Well that plan didn't pan out. Life took another route. He did accomplish many other ventures including the skills of building catering mobiles.

Determination and a fighter is part of Tony's make-up. When my mother was in the hospital for about a month before she passed away....Tony was by her side everyday. He fought for her life while most of us was prepared to let her go. He fought until the end for Mom. All I know is that if I'm in a life or death situation, I want my brother by my side.

Life hasn't been easy for Tony. He lives a life that most of us will never understand. Sometimes I think his intelligence got the best of him. I will never pretend to know what it is to walk in his shoes or to understand the decisions he's made. What I do know is that he is my brother and the son of my mother. Now that mom is gone, we (siblings) are fulfilling her wishes...... to be close, to love and to be there for one another. We embrace mom's wish with love and eagerness. It's how we were raised.

We got together for lunch, just the siblings. It's becoming a ritual (once a month) but now we're including the brothers. We weren't sure how it was going to turn out but not to my surprise it was fabulous. We shared, we laughed, picked on one another, of course cried and you can feel the love in the air. Mom was definitely smiling.

Funny, stubborn, loyal, major pain in the ass, dreamer, intelligent, boastful laugh, sensitive, fragile, loves God.....these are things that define Tony. An amazing man, brother, father and son. I love him dearly and blessed that he is my brother.