Scarlet Ribbons      In May of 1993 I received a phone call that turned my world upside down; and forever changed my life. The call came from my brother and sister-in-law in Louisiana.       I was living in Alabama at the time, due in most part to my husband's Army service. My brother Larry and his wife had called to tell me that the test results were in and yes it was bad. My brother had cancer. Lung Cancer. And it was bad.       I first talked to my sister-in-law, then my sister; finally he got on the phone. I was trying so hard not to cry and I didn't want him to give up. He was trying to be brave for me. It was a painfully short conversation that ended with him telling me to just wait, there was no use to come down.      He continued to return to his doctors until they decided what action to take. They would remove the lung. I went down to Louisiana to be with him and the family for the surgery. It was a very long day, and I will never forget the look on his face as they wheeled him into the elevator.      We began our wait. Finally in the late afternoon the Doctor came out and said that he did well, and that they thought they had gotten it all. (No such thing.) I stayed there in Louisiana for several days to make sure he would not have any complications from the surgery. When it was time for me to go home it was so hard to go into the ICU and tell him goodbye. I was trying not to cry, he as always in our life together got me. He started calling out, "Shane!" ("Shane," like the western movie. I made him stop, as it was making me very sad.)      I made it back to Alabama and we wrote and kept in touch and called. He got better and went back to work. He had to have the back surgery that was postponed due to the lung surgery. (That is how they found the cancer, doing x-rays for his back surgery) As it drew closer to Christmas the calls started. He wanted me home for Christmas. I had not planned to go, but he was so adamant about it that we went (my husband, Jay, and I.)  In one of our phone conversation's I had asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he asked me what I wanted. I laughed and said, "You, wrapped in red ribbons!"      We had spent most of our Christmas's at my sister Sue's house since Daddy had passed away, and so that is where we would celebrate this year as well. We got in late at night and the next day I called and told him we were there. He said they would be up soon. Going about our business of cooking,  talking, wrapping gifts and just enjoying the holidays my sisters and I were having fun. Someone knocked on the door and my sister went to answer it. She started laughing so hard and turned to me and said, "I think this is for you." I went to the door and there he stood. All dressed in camouflage hunting gear and from head to foot little scarlet red ribbons. He smiled that smile and said, "Well, you said that is what you wanted for Christmas!"      I made him take one off, sign and date it. I put it with my stuff to bring home.      That was the Christmas of 1994, my brother passed away on September 27th, 1995 just 50 years and 16 days old.      I cherish that ribbon. It is the first thing that goes on my tree each year and the last to come off. He is with me each year, I always cry. This is the 6th Christmas I have hung it on my tree and I still get so emotional it's hard to believe he's really gone.     My mother passed away in August of 1995, just a mere 6 weeks before my brother. Someone had sent a beautiful arrangement with a piece of gold lace tied in a bow. I took that bow and put it near the ribbon on the tree. It's only right that Larry spend Christmas with his mama.