#SOL24-30 Three

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

As his colleagues shared their farewells, I took notes:

“an upstanding man”
“a mentor, a coach, a friend”
“he assured everyone who worked with him, especially his interns, ‘this place is full of opportunities; if this is something you are interested in - go for it.”

I was the proverbial fly on the wall, listening and learning, at my brother’s retirement.

My brother “Three” ( of my four brothers) and I are thirteen months apart in age and have always been close. We both settled in the Washington, D.C. area after college. (Isn’t ‘settled’ a funny word to describe all the ups and downs, the gyrations, the unpredictability of life, anywhere?) The years have tumbled by, with so many loving connections – we hung out together as young singles, then we each got married, followed by a blur of years raising children, hosting playdates and sleepovers between our boys, family holidays and special dinners, supporting our parents in their declining health, music concerts, road races, and other fun pastimes, and holding each other up in times of grief and challenge. We have always shared stories about work with one another, but honestly, work life was never the primary topic of conversation – especially, I think, because we weren’t in the same field. He was a broadcaster and I was a teacher.

I knew he loved his work though.

When he was a child, he loved two things: sports and radio. He was always running around, playing sports, every imaginable physical game that came his way:  basketball, football, ping-pong, racquetball, baseball, tennis, whatever. Basketball was his all-time favorite sport. He also loved to listen to the radio. He played with the dial constantly, sifted through the AM stations, kept his ear out for Casey Kasem Top 40, and rushed to respond to “be the tenth caller…,” hoping to win a prize.

He won a huge prize career-wise: finding work that wove together those two childhood interests. Three just retired from a long career with Voice of America. Let me share this from VOA’s mission statement:

Since its creation in 1942, Voice of America has been committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth. Through World War II, the Cold War, the fight against global terrorism, and the struggle for freedom around the globe today, VOA exemplifies the principles of a free press.

Voice of America, https://www.insidevoa.com/p/5831.html

My brother Three hosted an English language radio show broadcast to Africa about his one great love in life: sports. 

Here I was at his retirement, visiting VOA for the first time ever. We arrived at his office near the Mall in Washington, D.C. just in time to witness a motorcade on a neighboring street – police on motorcycles escorting seven black SUVs, sirens blaring. It made me smile to see this, thinking about how many years this was my daily experience, being in the midst of this hustle and bustle. Now, I am like a tourist, oohing and aahing, trying to guess what important person is being chaperoned to the U.S. Capitol.

The VOA building was fascinating. These flags in the entry hall represent all the different languages in which broadcasts are offered:

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of his retirement function. I quickly assessed how much his colleagues loved him. What a wonderful experience for me, his big sister, to hear these accolades! It was so amazing to view him through this whole new lens.

The line that made me laugh so much:

“If the race was between two dead turtles, he’d still make the race exciting.”

This was one compliment made my eyes water:

“He offered me space and freedom to create and express the way I wanted and then he cheered me on.”

He would have made a very fine teacher, I think. (Yes, big sister here, having the last word.)

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