Celebrate Someone Special

This big brother of mine…

Has a birthday today…
At age 5…he became the man of the house…my protector…my rock…the one I trusted…

Headed up whiffle ball…bathroom nerf basketball…used me as a channel changer…and was always up for a game of pepper…

At 14 he worked 40 hours a week…as a cook…at a restaurant in Little Amana…working weekends…and every day after school…it wasn’t long…before he became head cook…manning the grill…while his little sister…recruited on her 14th birthday…watched with pride…from the dishwashing station…

Tried college…it wasn’t his thing…bought the Pizza Haus…at 19 years of age…was told by family…he would fail…

Look at him now…

What a joy it has been…to have worked beside him…many nights and weekends…watching him use his expertise to create salads…homemade breads…tasty sandwiches and the best pizza…I’ve ever eaten…

I’ve never known anyone…to work harder than he…and underneath that old man veneer…lies a quick wit and heart of gold…

So happy birthday…Pizza Man…know that every time…I sit in a booth…I celebrate you…cherish our past…and watch you with pride…as you bustle around that pizza oven…
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And those nieces of yours agree…