Thinking of you...

This weekend I lost someone very special to me. My brother-in-law, after a hard 3-month battle with cancer, left us on Saturday morning. My sister was by his side, actually she layed on his chest while he took his last breathes. She said it was a peaceful passing.

Syd was a very important part of my life. I first met him shortly after the birth of my son in 2005. My sister had already been with him for over a year by the time I met him. To be honest, the reasons I had for not wanting to meet him were stupid. You see, he is 25 years older then my sister, and at the time I thought their relationship was wrong… Who was I to judge… Who was I to judge him, my sister and their relationship.

In 2008, I seperated from my husband, and Syd and my sister were there to take me in. I didn’t know what to do with my time on the weekends that my son was with his father, and so, I would head over to their place on Friday night after work, and return home on Sunday. Syd and my sister ride sport bikes… not cruisers! It wasn’t long that I traded my Honda Shadow Ace for a Honda CBR600RR, just like the one Syd had… I was a big girl now! Riding a bike just like Syd’s! That was special to me… You see, Syd has been around the sport bike motorcycle scene forever. He was one of the first in the area to have a Hayabusa. He was the first to be chased down by the cops with the airplane. He was very well respected in the sport bike scene, and he was MY brother-in-law!

To me Syd was more then just a legend, an idol… He took care of me… He always made sure my bike was tip-top (no matter which one), stripping it of its plastics within minutes of arriving. He taught me what certain parts did, how the mechanics of it all worked… and my job was always holding the flashlight! And he always said that I was the best flashlight holder he had ever had! LOL! He made sure I was always ok when we rode together. He taught me what I needed to push my own limits. I remember him telling my sister to “let me go faster”, that I was good to go! He stood up for me when the boys would tease… telling them to watch what they say, that I’m faster then most of them…

Syd had a great sense of humour. Up until his final days he still loved to tease and make us laugh. On my final visit we laughed, to the point of tears, for a couple hours…

It’s times like these, when we loose someone close to us, that I take great comfort knowing that the Lord is taking care of him, the same way he took care of me. And according to my son, he’s kicking some ass up there racing around… Life is short, enjoy it while you’re here… Syd did…

Until we meet again brother…