On June 18, after many years of struggle with drug addiction, my youngest brother Chris was found dead of an overdose. At the funeral service, a close friend to Chris and one of our brothers spoke. For my own healing process, I elected to write a eulogy of my own.
Let me repeat here what I have personally told my brother and Chris’s friend: nothing about this blog post should be considered an attempt to “set the record straight,” or to somehow clarify or articulate more effectively anything either of them said at the funeral service. One or both of them covered what follows here; they truly did an exceptional job honoring his memory. I wrote this to help my own mourning process, simple as that.
I should also say that they have earned my respect. It’s taken me literally months to write what they turned around in just a few days.