The last time I saw my brother, I knew he had entered the hospice phase of his battle, and it may be the last time I saw him. I didn't want it to feel like he had entered his funeral, though. I wanted to keep things light and avoid any serious talk unless he moved the conversation there. I brought some food and good whiskey. I even wore a Bears quarterback jersey because I knew he would mock me for it, and he didn't disappoint. It was the first thing he commented on when he opened his door, and he had a big smile on his face.

We spoke briefly about where he was at in the process. I expected to be there for an hour tops. I didn't leave until 4 hours later. I called Crest afterward and told him it was the best he had sounded in about a year. Crest heard the same thing because he had spoken to him earlier that day. We had 4 hours of ball busting and laughter. We talked about different types of whiskey at one point, and that's when I found out he had never had Japanese whiskey. I told him I would return the following week and we would drink some Japanese whiskey. We never got that opportunity.

I'm halfway into the bottle of Ichiro we were supposed to share. Safe travels, my friend.

The last time I saw my brother, I knew he had entered the hospice phase of his battle, and it may be the last time I saw him. I didn't want it to feel like he had entered his funeral, though. I wanted to keep things light and avoid any serious talk unless he moved the conversation there. I brought some food and good whiskey. I even wore a Bears quarterback jersey because I knew he would mock me for it, and he didn't disappoint. It was the first thing he commented on when he opened his door, and he had a big smile on his face.

We spoke briefly about where he was at in the process. I expected to be there for an hour tops. I didn't leave until 4 hours later. I called Crest afterward and told him it was the best he had sounded in about a year. Crest heard the same thing because he had spoken to him earlier that day. We had 4 hours of ball busting and laughter. We talked about different types of whiskey at one point, and that's when I found out he had never had Japanese whiskey. I told him I would return the following week and we would drink some Japanese whiskey. We never got that opportunity.

I'm halfway into the bottle of Ichiro we were supposed to share. Safe travels, my friend.