If you have spent any amount of time with me one of the things that you will hear about in some way, shape, or form is my family. My family is one of the most important things in the world to me. Whether it be my mom and dad, brothers and sister, their husbands and wives, or the nieces that I have. I love them from the deepest part of me. I may not show it as often as I should, but the love I have for them is one of the biggest parts of who I am.
But I wanted this blog to be about my oldest brother, Keith, and what he has meant to me in the past two years of life. Before I get to that, though, I wanted to give some history of what our lives together have looked like.
I LOVED all of my brothers growing up, and I can honestly say that I think they loved me back in that same manner. They were the people I wanted to be most like, and would do anything and everything they told me to do. Keith was no exception to that. We were 12 years apart and were VERY different people, but that didn’t stop the love we had for each other. He would take me on drives, and buy me candy, and keep me as included as he could (at least I felt like he did). When I was really young I remember walking in the grocery store parking lot holding two of his fingers because that was all my hand could fit. I remember thinking that his hands were huge, and I can’t wait to be like him and have big hands.
Then things changed, just as life does, and he moved out. I was only 6 when he moved out, but that never stopped how much I loved him and looked up to him. He was moving along with life and did what grownups do… moved on with his career, got married, and got a house. Luckily for me, that house was only 15 minutes away. I ALWAYS looked forward to going to his house. He had all the good kinds of candy, the movies and shows I always wanted to watch, and he had two dogs that I absolutely loved.
Fast forward a few years and things change all over again. Keith’s life went from something I loved being around, to something I shouldn’t be around. His marriage ended, and near the same time he tried meth for the first time on accident.
His life went from being something I wanted to be in as much as possible to the drug addict brother that I would ask everyone to pray for. I never saw him but I was lucky enough to still get voicemails from him saying how much he loved me. I was heart broken at seeing my brother like this. I cried a few times thinking how much I hated seeing him like this, but I was fervent in my prayers. My whole family was fervent in their prayers.
And they worked.
To make a long story short, after a few years Keith was finally convinced to go to rehab. After rehab came the big life changes for him like moving back in with my parents, cutting ties with so many people in his life, and consistently fighting the battle to say no to drugs.
I was SO PROUD of him them.
I was proud to see that he accepted change, and to know that he was getting his life back on track. He was truly improving everyday and affecting every single person around him. And it didn’t stop there. He has continued to do those things every single day.
Which finally brings me to the last two years. Keith has been my biggest supporter, financially and emotionally, on both of my races. Not only that, but he has made every effort to talk to me and pursue relationship again.
Throughout my world race him and I messaged constantly about traveling. Both of us love seeing the world, and we are the only two single siblings left. So naturally we would dream about going places together, but I didn’t ACTUALLY think we would do something together. But before I know it, I say yes to going on a scuba diving trip with him in the 2 months between one world race and the other.
We go to this beautiful tropical island and scuba dive every day, but that wasn’t even the best part. The best part was getting to spend time with the same brother that I looked up to so much when I could barely hold two of his fingers. The best part was getting to see how his life experiences turned him into more of a man that fought for himself and people he loved.
I went home from that trip with a full and happy heart knowing that my oldest brother was one of my best friends and one of the best adventure/travel partners.
Then I go on the race again, and I end up getting to see him on Christmas day in Thailand. But the crazy part wasn’t even the fact that he was in Thailand. The crazy part was how different he was even from the scuba trip we had taken 4 months previous.
The man that showed up in Thailand was full of passion and desire for God to move in his life. The conversations that we used to have about travel quickly started turning into conversations about God and how good he is. The man that showed up in Thailand was there with the mission of blessing me, and the people in my life. He gave selflessly, and I had never been more proud to tell people that he was my brother.
It didn’t stop when I saw him in Thailand. He has continued to chase after Jesus every single day. He has made some really hard choices, but it has been so cool to see him be obedient to the will of the Father. He has challenged me in my walk with the Lord without even trying, and has loved me so stinking well from thousands of miles away. I have never felt so proud to call him my brother as I do right now, and that only grows by the day. I am so thankful that he has such a huge role in my life, and I pray that never changes.
Keith, I love you bro. Thanks for being you and for being someone who gives unconditional love and support. I’m thankful for your passion and drive in life and for seeking to make his name known in this world. Thanks for traveling with me, and for making sure that I always get the right kind of gummy worms. Thanks for making me laugh constantly but even more so making me feel accepted for who I am. You are one of my greatest blessing to date!
In Him,
Caleb Callaway
