HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTY!!!

In honor of Matty’s birthday I thought I’d share some of my favorite and most tender thoughts about my brother and friend.

My brother Matty is the best friend a sister could ever ask for. While we fought as kids, he would protect me no matter what the consequence. I was the tag-along! When we were young, it bothered Matt but later in life he didn’t seem to mind. Matt would take me fishing on the creek almost every day. He would always hook the fish and I would reel it in. This kept us busy for a long time. When we would go home he would always say that I caught the fish. Not many guys would do that for their sister. The boy even would paint my fingernails. Matt has always been an example to me, he is good at anything he does. In all the humility of a Berry, Matt is truly an exceptional athlete and I will never quite catch up in this life but he better watch out when I get that right arm perfected. If Matt did something; I always wanted to do it too. In the summers we would get wet on the tramp with the sprinkle. Well Matt would take off his shirt, so I would take off mine. My Mom would surely tell me to put it back on, and I thought “Matt has his shirt off why can’t I”.

Matt drove me to school everyday, and can I just say that it is a miracle that I lived! Riding to school daily with Matt was an adventure I would never trade; we both are lucky to still be alive. I think that is when I really felt Matt was my friend not because I was sister. I was a nerd with not many friends, and Matt let me tag-along again with him and his friends. His friends became my friends; Matt took me under his wing, never caring whether people thought he wasn’t cool for hanging out with his sister. Matt is the only person I know who sent his sister flowers before the opening game of softball season wishing them good luck. I admire many aspects of my brother: the three back-to-back home runs over the Madison fence, the distance he drives the golf ball, his humor, his driving skills, his constantly growing gun collection, his multiple ESPN worthy baseball plays (yes we have most on video if you’d like to see), his dutch-oven chicken and potatoes, BUT while all these and more make Matt the amazing person he is what I admire the most is the way he’s always been my friend through thick and thin.

Happy Birthday Matty! Here is to many more years of thick and thin!