Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Thoughts of my brother Bill have continued to flood my consciousness in these past several weeks, so much stronger now because of his recent passing. What memories can I share? What pictures can I recall that would give you a sense of this man as a boy, as a teen?
Being the older sister he was in my life for 80 years, long enough for the memories to blur and fade, to distort I’m afraid. None seem profound enough to tell about my favorite (and only) brother.
So I’ll pass on to you the remarkable gift he ultimately gave me.
___________________________________________
As the early morning light touched my face this past Tuesday a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier which I hadn’t heard in over 35 years came flooding into my mind. I share it with you now:
Don't Quit
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure comes about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit—
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
My Brother, William K. Rondeau never quit. He never gave up.
He remained strong and powerful throughout his entire life, both physically and with a firm determination to accomplish each and every goal, no matter how dangerous or daring, how bleak the diagnosis.
Bill, You are, and always will be, My Personal Superhero!
Your #1 sister