Remembering My Brother

"For we do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living." 

-- Romans 14:7-9

Lord,
He was 53.
A gentle giant in my eyes.
My mentor,
My role model,
My older brother,
My best friend.
He was my first phone call 

in good times and bad.

When I was born,
he was almost five years old.
My parents called him from the hospital.
He asked, "What kind of brother am I?"
Meaning: Was he the big brother to a baby sister or a baby brother?

During his 15-month
struggle with a glioblastoma,
I realized a better answer to his question:
"Jeff was a damn good brother."

He taught me how to crawl.
He taught me algebra when I was in 3rd grade.
He taught me how to drive a manual transmission car.
He showed me how to have fun
in college without going overboard.
He showed me how to love a wife.
He showed me how to love a son.

He showed me how to die.
Jeffrey Knox Denny died on Sunday, September 28, 2026.

He was a damn good brother.
I'll miss calling him on my drive home.
I'll miss his movie recommendations.
I'll miss playing card games and board games with him.
I'll miss sitting on the porch just talking.
I'll miss having someone that I don't have to explain things to; he just understands.
I'll miss getting his advice.

I thought we'd have another 30+ years.
It ended too soon.

"If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s." -- Romans 14:8

Amen.

A South Carolina Snow Day

Lord,

Thank you for the snow falling outside my window.

The joy;

the laughter;

the snowballs;

the snowman building attempts;

the head normally bowed to a computer screen 

now lifted in anticipation,

tongue outstretched 

awaiting the icy taste of snowflakes;

the footsteps around the yard 

and into the neighborhood

exploring the winter wonderland;

then inside to the warmth of hot chocolate,

with my eyes wide in wonder at the beauty of the snowfall;

the birds at the bird feeder grateful for seeds.

The blanket of snow will be short-lived,

and thank you for that truth, too.

For all its beauty,

the snowycold hides a danger.

I hope the power does not go out.

Icyroads, icy walkways, and icycold 

are conditions that we in South Carolina

are not used to or prepared for,

and are life-threatening for some.

Lord,

your command to love your neighbor

comes to mind.

a reminder check on and care for neighbors, 

especially the most vulnerable...

Thank you, Lord, for the snow.

Thank you for the opportunities it brings

to play, to wonder, 

to care for neighbors.

I look forward to its melting away,

but not too soon.

I am going back out to make a snow angel!

Amen.