Sarah

The following is a letter I’d write to my sister who barely lived..

Hi Sarah,

It’s your older brother Tristram. I don’t think we even met but I often think of you. Mostly because my older sisters, Esme in particular, never listen to me like they should and I’m sure you would’ve.

You didn’t stay long hey? You made an appearance and left. You missed some bad but you really missed a lot of good. I am certain you are with our Mum, and perhaps she’s filled you in about us all but I will give you my lowly, earthly perspective.

Jason.. Your oldest brother. The most loyal. Loyalty means everything to him. He likes to collect things, we might need to remind him he can’t bring his shop up there. He can make you anything from fine furniture to bourbon whiskey. He’s a perfectionist and good at everything he does. But I think that the greatest thing about your brother is if you were in serious trouble he’d drop everything to come to your aid, and give you the shirt off his back.

Austin..We had two athletes in the family. Austin was one of them. He’s a walking dichotomy. Fearless but sensitive, unpredictable. He’s a rebel and always ready to stand up for the underdog. But I think that the greatest thing about your brother is if you were in serious trouble he’d drop everything to come to your aid, and give you the shirt off his back.

Samantha..Your oldest sister is simply amazing. She was dealt some tough cards, and she plays the hell out of them. With a level playing field she would be running the world right now. In many ways, she’s our glue down here. In her own way she keeps us all connected. She deserves far more than she’s been given and I trust you are overseeing the construction of her mansion in heaven. But I think that the greatest thing about your oldest sister is if you were in serious trouble she’d drop everything to come to your aid, and give you the shirt off her back.

Natalie..Nat is simply an angel. A fallen and wayward angel at times but all Cottier’s are. I would suggest to you to never eat her quiche though; And her chocolate chip cookies have no chocolate. But she has done more to help others than all of us. She has a gift, she can teach and connect with people that everyone else gives up on. I think she is the other athlete in our family. But I think that the greatest thing about your sister is if you were in serious trouble she’d drop everything to come to your aid, and give you the shirt off her back.

Esme..What you need to know about Esme is she can’t drive. She’s a maniac. It’s really lucky after receiving “lessons” from her I didn’t meet you earlier up there. Beyond that she’s one of my heroes. She wouldn’t know that but she is. She adores her family and provides for them all. She forgives everyone and doesn’t hold grudges. But I think that the greatest thing about your sister is if you were in serious trouble she’d drop everything to come to your aid, and give you the shirt off her back.

Nathan.. If heaven has a safety department he will be going next door. He’s had it with rules down here and will jump off a roof himself soon if he can’t just do things the way he wants. God knows he’s earned it. Nathan has always come running for me. He’s unbelievable. He has a way of doing you a favour, and then he thanks you for letting him do it. He’s 1-1m. But I think that the greatest thing about your brother is if you were in serious trouble he’d drop everything to come to your aid, and give you the shirt off his back.

Caleb..The brains of the family. I can’t even beat him at word games after 20 tries. The world bores him so he sets about to make it more interesting which in turn causes him great stress. No one makes me laugh like him and ever since he was a kid he’s always made me feel like I was something. When someone as smart as Caleb tells you you are ok, you take it to heart. But I think that the greatest thing about your brother is if you were in serious trouble he’d drop everything to come to your aid, and give you the shirt off his back.

William..Your Dad. The most honest man on the planet. He loves Jesus and gambling. As I age I see him in myself and it no longer scares me. He has never interacted with anyone on the planet in which he did not give more than he took. He wouldn’t cheat anyone of .05 cents to save his life. He might spend his last .05 cents on a bet tho! But the greatest thing about your Dad is, if you were here, he would be the reason why the greatest thing about you would be if any of us were in serious trouble you’d drop everything to come to our aid, and give us the shirt off your back

Say hi to Mum, we will all see you soon. If there’s a white wolf running around up there grab him. His name is Taiko and he’s mine.

Love Tris,

If you read this far Thank you.