Caleb

Caleb. My youngest brother. I think Caleb is the most misunderstood man I know. His razor sharp intellect is only outmatched by the size of his heart.

One thing I have learned writing about my family is there is a common thread. Generosity. Our Father taught us to live Mathew 5:42:

Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Caleb lives this. I cannot add up all the people I have watched Caleb help. He Gives. Gives. Gives.

Whether it’s giving me his allowance to double mine to get the socket set I wanted, to giving our aging father a home when no one else would. Including me.

God blessed Caleb’s generosity with 2 amazing children. A son as smart as his father, and a daughter that has completely captured his heart. There is nothing Caleb will not do for his kids, no pain too much to endure, no cost to high, no obstacle thrown in his way he can’t overcome.

Caleb is hilarious. He makes me laugh every day. We have had a couple heated moments over the years, but most of my memories with him are joyful.

Two brothers, 4 years apart working together in an oak shop owned by their older brother. A familiar song comes over the radio igniting the inner rock star inside them, both jump on the table, grab sticks for guitars, and perform back to back for imaginary thousands.

The spirit to perform is still there, even though the goal has changed. We now dream of performing for a few people at a Karaoke night. We we want to do the 9 min version of Bat Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf. We will be out of tune, awful, and will not realize our dream till people start tossing drinks at us. It may never happen but discussing it monthly for decades brings us joy.

Caleb helps me when I need to sound intelligent. When we felt our son needed to jump up a grade, Caleb wrote out a paper that the school board could not refute, backed by facts and crystal clear logic. Seeing my son work hard through years of University makes me realize he will finish one year earlier, thanks in no small part to Caleb.

When I was upset coaches and local hockey were facilitating and somewhat encouraging drinking, Caleb once again put his time and effort into summarizing the disastrous affects alcohol has on a 14 year old brain. He was likely sipping a beer as he wrote it…

That’s Caleb. A checkered Angel. Behind the drink, the cigarette, the sharp remark, is my brother and friend. Recently I messaged him. I mentioned his intellect, and how it was superior to mine. His reply?

“I do not know a Cottier that is not exemplary”.

My teachers and grades would suggest otherwise. But I will say this. As a guy who left school early for the trades, it was always Caleb who would reach out and make me feel like I was enough. When someone like Caleb says you are not too bad, you feel 10 feet tall.

If you read this far, thank you.

-Tris