HE AIN'T HEAVY HE'S MY BROTHER

Today is my brother Shannon's birthday.
It is hard to believe that my baby brother is 41.

My mother always said that Shannon was her easiest pregnancy.
I on the other hand was 16 hours of labor, in the heat of June, in Sumter, SC at Shaw AFB in the middle of the swamp.  Explains everything right.

Shannon was born in Louisville, and we lived on S. 6th Street in an old wonderful house with my Aunt Millie and Uncle Jesse.  Our cousin Brad had been born on the 3rd of July.  So when Shannon arrived on August 31st, I got to help both my mom Evelyn and my Aunt Millie with taking care of the newborns.  I was six years old.

It was the summer of 1968 and we lived upstairs in what was the original 4 bedrooms of the big house and my aunt and uncle lived downstairs in the 4 main rooms.  I remember my brother being a joy for my mother and father.  His nickname as he grew older was "Spanky" because he looked like Spanky McFarlane from the OUR GANG films.

Shannon is the old soul of our family.  And that is what I love about my brother.  And he is the middle child.  My sister Missy was born two years later after we moved to Samoset Ct back in J-town.
When I was going through a difficult breakup, he and his very understanding wife Dorann put me up in Sarasota for most of a summer.  For this I am truly grateful for their kindness, patience and love.
AND I am sure that being who I was then, they were very grateful when I moved back to Orlando.  LOL

If I have the TV resume, then my brother has the FILM resume.
His on set construction resume reads like a list of great films produced in the past 15 years, starting with THE TRUMAN SHOW and just this past year he finished work on the newest Martin Scorsese film in Boston.  I am extremely proud of him and we have our father to thank for giving us the work ethic that I believe we both possess.

My little brother is not so little anymore.

I wish I had a copy of one of our famous home movies with my brother trying to show you how to fish. Confident, sure of himself, just a natural in front of the camera until he tries to cast his fishing rod.
The bobber lands in the tree behind him, he realizes that it is there and then does a slow take to the camera and begins to tear up.  It is one of my precious memories of him as a child.

So to you Shannon, know that I love you my brother and wish you the best on this wonderful day, your birthday.

Peace and blessings,
GM