Ricker

 

 

 

On a recent climb of Mt.Stuart as I was taking a break and eating some of my brother Rick's World Famous Turkey Jerky, it dawned on me, this is my last bag of the jerky he had sent me.  What then?  Who will replace this?  Over the years, Rick has occasionally sent things in the mail, such as this turkey jerky.  He is always into something crazy.  His crazy always involved a story--a story that was so remarkable and unbelievable that it had to be true.  As the climb progressed, I couldn't bring myself to finish off the last of this jerky.  It seemed too final. 

 

It's been about a month since his death and I think about him all the time.  I have been blessed with many things in life, but perhaps nothing as important as the amazing brothers that I have.  It's hard to describe the Ricker.  You can tell things that he did and said, but unless you knew him, people might not believe these stories.  Everything he did somehow became larger than life; something worthy of a story--a Ricker story.

 

Recently, more than his stories, I've been thinking about Rick as an older brother and a mentor.  He taught me how to dance--well actually, he made fun of me and told me that I'd never get a girl with moves like that, and so I taught myself by mimicking his style.  He lovingly smoothed the path for me in school.  Teachers would accusingly ask, "So you're Rick Smart's little brother?"  I would remind them, "Yes, but Jan Smart is also my sister!"  It was an interesting example of damnation and redemption in sibling associations all at once.  He gave me important advice on how to be a man, "Don't give up your lunch money, or you'll be identified as a pussy."  (This was at Lincoln Jr. High School, where hanging onto your lunch money could mean your life.)  This last bit of advice turned out to be pretty important.  I got pounded for three days straight, but it finally ended, when the hoodlums at my school realized that I wasn't going to give it up without a fight. 

 

Rick also, and more importantly, gave me wonderful advice about the importance of serving a mission.  He was a fantastic example of how to treat my parents, my wife and my children. Sheila and I so admired Rick and Cheryl, that we designated them as guardians for our children in our will.  I think this speaks volumes about how much we admired Rick.  He was always so welcoming to us and our children.  The dinners at his home were legendary. I realize that Cheryl will keep the dinners and get-togethers going, but who is going to tell the crazy stories?  There are indeed people in our lives who are irreplaceable.  Rick was such a person in my life.  We soldier on without these people, but our lives are diminished when they die.  My life will go on without my older brother Rick, but I will miss him terribly.  Whenever we spoke on the phone he would always remind me, "We just love you guys!"  I knew he meant it.  I will miss that.

 

Rick raised amazing children.  I see so much of him in them.  I am so glad that each of them spoke at his funeral.  While it's impossible to adequately honor someone like Rick in an hour long funeral service, they were able to highlight the things that I truly loved about Rick.  I am hopeful that Rangi can develop Rick's ability to spin a yarn and become our family storyteller.  While he will never replace his dad, Rick's stories need to be told and retold.  They help us feel connected as a family.   

 

Today would have been Rick's 64 birthday.  It's seems like an appropriate day to finish off the last couple pieces of Ricker's turkey jerky.  While I miss him tons, I am so grateful to have had such an amazing brother in my life.  There will undoubtedly be tears shed in our family today, but we will also feel great joy when we think about Rick and the fact that our  association with him will endure this life.

 

(The first picture above is how I will always remember Rick.  When I see him next, this is how I expect to see him.  The second picture is the only picture I could find of me and my 4 brothers. This was taken at a wrestling tournament in Las Vegas that Rocky and Rangi were competing in.)