Thanks for sharing that, Kahlia. Your brother sounds like he was a wonderful soul. I think all of us are, we just get caught up in our own little prisons. Like the BT say we're not bad people trying to get good, we're sick people trying to get well.
I miss my father tremendously. He was a wonderful man... and I know he's home too. He died at the age of 63. I took him to the hospital on my one year anniversary and he died four days later. When I took him to the hospital he was in agonizing pain (although he did admit it while at home), and when he got there and the doctor asking him if he was hurting he started crying and said he was. He was scared that the pain medications at home would be a trigger for me, so he avoided using them. He was also more worried about constipation than he was pain. He was so strong willed.
He was the one son out of the four that my grandparents had that didn't abuse drugs or alcohol. Despite that he developed pancreatic cancer. He was originally diagnosed with 4 months to live without chemo (6-8 months with it), and he lived with us for another 49 months after his diagnosis. 2+ years without any chemo. I'm just glad that God gave me some time with him while I was clean. I watched him die clean, and I stayed clean during the funeral... and since. I know he would be proud.
When he was diagnosed I used that as an excuse to use. I know now that it's not and excuse, and it's not God trying to pick on me and my family. It's just life.
Like you said, and I can't agree more, we have to cherish every moment we're gifted with.
Peace