Two of my three siblings are deceased. My brother Mark passed away 13 years ago and my sister Lillie died four years later. I think about them during the year but more often around the holidays.

The other day I was thinking about a few incidents that made

me laugh. Lillie, a little younger than me, was one of a kind. She gave you her opinion regardless

if you wanted it or not. She married her high school sweetheart, Tommy Reno. He was a handsome, good-natured husband and father and

a good provider. He loved my

sister, and she used it to her advantage.

I’ll never forget one Sunday when Tommy, Mark and I were playing pool and having a few beers at Club Café (a local hangout). The games went a little longer than usual and Lillie called to tell Tommy that lunch was ready. Thirty minutes later she called again, saying, “If you don’t come home soon, your lunch will by cold!” Tommy, a little out of character, sarcastically said, “I like it cold!” That’s all Lillie needed to hear to put her mischievous behavior in action.

She served his plate and put it in the freezer. When he arrived, he asked where his food was. Lillie, I’m sure a little aggravated, took it out of the freezer and said, “If you like cold food, you’ll really enjoy this!”

Mark, also my junior, was well liked, had a nickname for everyone and liked to joke. His wife Leatrice (nicknamed “Cheesie”) was always on the serious side. Mark, like most men, occasionally got angry with “Cheesie”.

One Sunday afternoon, we were all at my mom’s house for our weekly family gathering, and Mark seemed to be upset at something. We soon found out his mood was influenced by something “Cheesie” had either said or did. In the course of our conversation, he bluntly said, “If there was such a thing as reincarnation, with my luck, I’d come back as a dog and ‘Cheesie’ would be a flea.” That was my brother!

Thinking about those times long past brought back memories of the good days when we enjoyed each others company (most of the time).

With all the memories, the one I cherish the most is having the opportunity to be with them near death and sharing Jesus and eternal life as they prepared to enter eternity.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.