Brother-in-law/Brother

I was very lucky to marry into the family that I did.  It's a large family and most of my in-laws are some of my best friends.  Wayne is one of them.  We were all in shock yesterday to find out he'd fallen off a ladder, hit his head on concrete, and suffered either a concussion or stroke or both.  The good news is that he has survived but will need therapy to walk again.  

Wayne was the first of my in-laws that I met...even before my husband (his brother).  Wayne and I were mid teens at a teen dance and he was and has always been a good dancer.  I remember him pointing out his brother (my future husband) who happened to be reeling drunkenly in the doorway and saying that he got drunk all the time and beat up all his girlfriends.  I think he was trying to turn me off that handsome brother of his because it turned out that Dennis rarely drank and I don't think he ever beat anyone up in his whole life.

Wayne has always been like a brother to me...a seriously good man with a heart of gold.  He ended up marrying the lady who is now one of my best friends (Mary).  Unfortunately they divorced after a time but Mary has always remained my good friend.

Wayne has always been such a happy-go-lucky guy, loved by everyone who knows him so we're really hurting that he's been so badly injured.  The original news was that he probably wouldn't survive so just needing therapy, even if it's for a serious problem like walking, is a blessing to hear.  He and Rhonda have been married for 30 or so years and his recovery is going to be mainly on her shoulders.  They live in the Chicago area which is quite far from his Canadian home where most of his relatives live.  It helps to have family close by at a time like this.

It was just over 13 years ago that Dennis passed away and that was very hard on Wayne and the rest of their siblings.  This is an extremely close and loving family so Wayne's misfortune will also be terribly hard on all of us.  He's 79 years old and he's not going to bounce back quickly from this accident but they come from tough stock and I'm truly hoping he'll recover enough to have a good life in his well deserved golden years.

My healing thoughts go out to you, my brother, my friend.