KAILUA-KONA » It has been nearly a year since my younger brother's life was taken while serving as a Navy SEAL overseas. People say time brings healing and, although I know that is true, I miss him greatly. Fond memories of our childhood, and simple epiphanies of the strong man he was, will flood my mind from time to time without warning, and I stop to enjoy my association with my brother and shed a tear or crack a smile.

As a tribute to my brother, I write to describe the comfort that has come after such a significant loss. You see, hearts are broken when the call comes that someone dear to you has moved on from this life. The world stops around you as you slowly begin to conceive the reality.

I recall experiencing a deep sense of loss and confusion upon receiving the news. However, with time, I felt a strong need to remember and honor him.

I had the choice: I could fall into despair and suffer not only the immediate loss but also years ahead of sadness, focusing on the idea that he is lost forever, never to be embraced again. Or I could choose to find peace with the knowledge he is in a better place, an eternal place with our Maker.

I made my choice and the knowledge that my brother lives today in that eternal place brings a calmness into my mind. I have the hope that I will see him once again. I will walk up to him and tell him I love him and have missed him.

Having experienced this peace of mind during the past months has changed me and has led me to the point where I celebrate the life of my brother. When we talk about him, it is with respect for a great man who made all who knew him smile. In these conversational circles we laugh, tell fond memories and express our love for our dear brother and friend.

I try to incorporate into my life, the strengths of my brother, those attributes that have always attracted my respect. When we are reunited in the future, I hope that he will feel I have represented him well and lived a better life because of his influence on me.

I can keep a part of my brother with me and I consider it one of the best ways to honor him.

When life takes an unexpected and painful turn, peace and hope take their place in the hearts of the faithful as we recognize the promise of a joyful and reunited future.