The Favorite: A Final Salute to a Graduating Nephew

Jon Brooks was always everyone’s favorite.

Ask my dad. Ask my grandmother. Ask either of his brothers.

Or just ask Jon. I’m sure he will tell you. He’s never lacked confidence, and truth is truth.

I should be perfectly clear I’m not joking about Granny. One day, sitting at a table at one family gathering or another, without prompting, she announced that Jon was her favorite. I’m pretty sure it was my birthday.

Jon truly was everyone’s favorite.

Until now.

1,000 Words: Grandfathers

My grandfather, with his body’s deterioration finally catching up to his mind’s head start, stayed bed-bound downstairs while my dad looked after him during the day. It was two generations of Strother Halls, back under one roof, with the younger version now fully in charge, the patriarch at last, helping his Alzheimer’s-riddled father ease into this final stage as peacefully as possible.