Glory Ho

I’ll never forget the night my brother Dustin took over.

It seems so silly now, our fear. But at the time it was very real. Mom and Dad, soft and sparkling, not much older than myself at this moment, had gone out for the night. We were watching TV. My youngest brother Philip sucked his thumb beside us. Our home wasn’t old enough to speak unless spoken to, so when we heard more than a few floorboards creak above us, we assumed my parents were home. When their voices never came, and the creaking continued, we hovered with uncertainty near the foot of the stairs in a makeshift meeting. But the plush pink carpet on the landing, the soft light of the smoked-glass chandelier and the familiar curve of the wrought iron banister didn’t calm us. This was exactly where scary movie scenes took place.

I was the oldest at 12. But it was Dustin who eventually led us all upstairs, where he swept up the bedskirt of the guest room to prove that nothing but wrapping paper rolls hid beneath, flew open the closet door to show us that my mother’s evening dresses stood alone and flipped on every light-switch to expose the emptiness of the living room. He was right of course. No one was in the house.

Later, he confessed how scared he had been. But he’d fooled me by flinging his fear aside and moving forward. I was grateful.

The name Dustin means “valiant fighter” and this describes my brother very well. While my heart tends to build nest after nest neatly upon my sleeve, Dustin has always tucked it away in the lining of his armor, ready for skillful negotiations, peacemaking and poker. Growing up, he excelled at every sport, was a natural leader and made more trips to the emergency room than Philip and I combined. He is a hunter and a defender. Drying tears is a tall order for him, but he’d risk his own life to save mine (and others) in an instant.

Today, Dustin conducts his life with the calm of a ship captain and the determination of a madman. Officially, he is a regional safety specialist for TransCanada, runs his own business and saves lives as part of the volunteer fire department. Unofficially, he is a gardener, football player, husband, canine master and community leader.

And on May 22nd, he became a father.

Garrett Stephen Enright emerged from his fetal slumber into he and his wife, Christine’s arms, instantly inheriting the noble qualities of them both. In fact, the name Garrett means “strength of a spear”.

It’s a big step, becoming a D-A-D. I have no idea how Dustin’s feeling about now. As we get older, disclosing fear gets a little harder. But he will take on this role as he has so many others. With bravery of the boy scout he’s been and the wisdom of the man he has become. This I know for sure.