Dear Graham

B – I – G:  A Tribute from Graham’s older sister Lindsay

You may remember a film from the ‘80s in which a 13-year-old boy turns into Tom Hanks and enjoys the fruits of adulthood while continuing to act like a prepubescent. What you may not have realized is that the film’s hero was in fact based on a real-life person.

My brother, Graham David Belchers, is the ultimate encapsulation of the word ‘BIG.’ Everything about him is larger-than-life and has been so since his early days. His BIGness began with sheer physical heft.

Here he is alongside a little friend only a few weeks’ younger:

This one still renders me speechless, although I empathize with the little travel stroller. I remember trying to hold him…

Here we are, each pictured at 5 months old:

I’m on the right, the smallish-to-normal sized baby whose head barely touches the pale pink stripe. On the left is the burgeoning Graham, bulging out of the poor bouncy chair, head easily clearing the pink stripe. I’d like to add that I am a normal sized human, now 5’7”, and while I was admittedly a preemie and tiny at birth, I don’t think I was particularly minute at this stage of babyhood.

Physical enormity is not Graham’s only BIG attribute. He has an extremely BIG lack of tolerance for anything that doesn’t immediately amuse him.

He’s the “little” kid on the right, playing with what appears to be a spoon. Appropriate.

He has a BIG appreciation of the absurd:

He has a BIG (and fierce) sense of protectiveness towards his loved ones:

Here with his nephew Nico…

Here with his lovely wife Kate.

Graham, my little brother, aka “Tiny,” has a BIG heart; a BIG booming voice and a BIG laugh; BIG height; a BIG appetite; BIG confidence, though without arrogance; a BIG golf swing; an ENORMOUS sense of fun; and an overwhelmingly passionate and joyful appreciation of family and life.

Graham – despite the grown-up job, the wife, the MBA and the yuppie taste in cars, you are entirely still the 13-year-old boy who loves to play, and you always will be. And you don’t look a day over 35.

Postscript from J, Graham’s brother-in-law: You’re a BIG dork.

Second postscript, from Lindsay: This is a SMALL fish…