Often, people say I am an inspiration or a hero. This makes me very uncomfortable. Because I’m just a guy trying to LIVE with ALS. The real heroes are the men and women who defend our great country, willing to die serving their country. And the real heroes are our first responders. The first responders run into burning buildings and save lives.
My brother, Bill Godfrey, was a firefighter for 25 years. He retired from the fire service in 2008. Bill ran into many burning buildings and saved countless lives because he was a paramedic also. Bill rose to the level of Fire Chief for a municipality in Florida. He was a deputy Fire Chief overseeing over 1,100 EMT’s and paramedics in Orange County, FL. Needless to say, I am very proud of my brother Bill. Because Bill did something I couldn’t do, risk his life. He is my HERO!
Growing up, we couldn’t have been so different. Bill liked electronics and playing with the early computers from Radio Shack (remember those – TRS80 Model 1). I liked playing sports, primarily basketball. We did have one thing in common, our love of boats and being on the water. We had a catamaran sailboat growing up (like a Hobie Cat, but a cheap knockoff our dad rebuilt). We would roll it down to the local park and sail for hours on the intercoastal waterway.
Growing up we didn’t get along very well, like most brothers. We fought a lot. Maybe it was because me and my friends called him Billy. Maybe it was because I tormented him with the song “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” originally by Paper Lace. Maybe it was because I let Bill antagonize me and get under my skin. One time, our mother got so frustrated with us, she told us to go outside and fight and not come back in until someone was bleeding! I thought this turn of events was awesome because I now had license to beat the s*#t out of my brother! Bill, not so much! Our neighbor saw us fighting and rolled his window open and yelled, “Hey, hey what are you doing?” We told him that mom said go outside and fight until someone was bleeding. With that, mom ran outside so fast, she would have won a gold medal in the Olympics!
My biggest regret was that Bill and I didn’t have a better relationship with each other growing up. Because that has led to a distant relationship now. I spent all my time chasing success, focusing on my career. Chasing things that don’t matter in the long run. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother. And I’m sure my brother loves me too. I just wish we could be closer. I wish I could talk to Bill every week to just catch up with each other. I wish we would text back and forth. I get jealous when I see others have a close, loving relationship. So, I texted him today just to say hi and I was thinking about him.
Did I say I’m proud of Bill? He is an entrepreneur now and has his own business. Bill is a genius when it comes to technology. His business trains first responders in active shooter training. He has developed simulation techniques to train men and women in a safe environment. Did I say I’m proud of my brother?
Now, Bill helps me a lot on my ALS journey. Whether that’s helping Carol with some respite care going to see her family or helping with visual technology to help me communicate better. He has done this with his own personal investment just to help me. He has done this with the love he has for me. I am very grateful for his love and for helping me and Carol.
Don’t wait for a terminal disease to repair your relationships like I did. Repair your relationships now. Love one another. Like Jesus said in John 13:34 (NIV), “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”. Do you know that “Love one another” appears at least 16 times in the Bible? Be like Jesus. I have a lot of repairing to do. I just hope I have enough time to do it!
#maketodayyourbestday #EndALS #FaithoverFear
