My Siblings

What Makes Each of Your Brothers and Sisters Special? Be Specific.

To start off, I should say that I am not the biggest family guy when it comes to my siblings. This is not a reflection of them or their character, but of me. Growing up I had a lot of problems emotionally, which I now realize stemmed from my biological father abandoning my older bother, my mom, and myself. Along with that I had a poor relationship with my adoptive father (dad) throughout my adolescence. I had anger problems, issues with authority figures, and I lacked a father figure that I trusted to be a mentor to me.  In reality I should have been seeing a professional counselor because it took many years for me to understand why things were the way they were. As I grew older I found myself hanging around an untoward crowd, many of similar circumstance. Instead of being around my family and siblings, I was always out with "friends" hanging out. Because of this I didn't cultivate the most important relationships that most people do within their homes during my prodigal years. Notwithstanding what I have already written, I know that my two brothers and my sister are really good people. We were raised like Nephi from the Book of Mormon, by "goodly parents", and anyone who gets to know my siblings will recognize this based on how they live their lives. My family has never been the "perfect" type of family, but that is one of the things that I like best about us. We are okay with being who we are and trying to improve what we can one thing at a time. 

Vincent Edward Earl

I remember being a little kid and being afraid of things, but then realizing that my older brother had always gone before me and had been okay. I have always looked up to Vincent for having the courage it takes to be the oldest sibling, to blaze the trail. One specific memory I have is when me and him had gotten in some trouble and were getting "the belt" as punishment. Vincent, for the first time, started laughing at my dad as he was being struck by the belt. From that point on I realized that I could do the same thing. It might be a bad thing, but after that moment I was never afraid of being punished

Vincent has also blazed the trail in many other ways. After high school, he attended university at BYU, graduating with a degree in English. He has been married and has two wonderful boys. I have seen in him a good example of how a father should provide for and be there for his kids. I can tell that his boys love him and he loves them. Though he has recently gone through divorce, I feel as though he was a good husband for the most part. After seeing how he was treated by my sister in law before they separated, I am amazed at how loving, respectful, and caring he has been to her notwithstanding the things she has done to him. He has also been active in church for pretty much most of his life, an aspect about him that I respect. He does well at magnifying his callings.

Some other characteristics about Vincent that make him special are: He is pretty good at everything he does (like me, not the best, but better than average). He has a temperament that is peaceful, instead of him being the bully or antagonistic because he was the oldest, he has always been helpful, agreeable, and peaceful. He is intelligent. You can easily have an intellectual discussion with him. 

Wayne Jeffrey Earl (Jeffrey)

I don't have many memories of Jeffrey growing up. What I remember the most about him is that he is one of the few people that never gave up on me during my wayward years. I remember coming home in bad shape and him saying, "why don't you just come to church with us again?" I remember thinking to myself "Is this kid crazy, I mean, look at me. Does he really think that I am ever going to go back to church again?" But he did, and he never kept asking. It turns out that he was right. I have been an active member of my church going on 10 years now. 

Jeffrey, in my opinion, has always had an intellectual capacity that surpasses any of us siblings. His mind is almost like a steel trap. He can regurgitate random information that he learned at any time on call. This probably helped him learn the Russian language when he served there for two years. My biggest question for Jeffrey is whether or not he will use the brilliance that he has to succeed in life financially. I am sure that he will in his own due time. He has had a hard time figuring out what to do in life, not because he has few options, but because he has too many interests. Jeffrey was born with a mechanical aptitude that I know for a fact I don't have. He can take things apart, figure out how they work, and put them back together. He has always been a tinkerer.

Some other characteristics about Jeffrey that make him special are: He excels at jobs or responsibilities where he has to get work done. In his current job as a supervisor of janitorial services at Dixie State University, and in my observation of him as an executive secretary and ward clerk, I have noticed that he gets things that need to be done accomplished before he is even asked to do them. He has an acute attention to detail when it comes to church or work assignments. He is also a really good person, and like Vincent would give you the shirt off his back. 

Jeffrey is the sibling that I have spent the most amount of time with in later years. He is someone I know that I can always turn to when I need help with anything. 

Susan Francis Earl

Being that Susan is eight years younger than me, I don't have very many memories of her growing up. By the time she was old enough to interact with me I was never home. I remember the summer after 8th grade I literally went home around three times the whole summer. From then until after my mission years most of the time that I spent at home was either to eat, sleep, or shower. 

Susan reminds me of my mother and what I remember of my grandmother in that she is a very charitable person. She is always giving of herself to others. I know that she has been taken advantage of by others throughout her life because she has wanted to feel loved and has been willing to bend over backwards for others. She is a very kind person and loves to help others (even if she isn't capable of helping them). She is very caring and generally wishes the best for everyone. She has a Christ-like quality of being able to forgive others.

Some other characteristics about Susan that make her special are: More-so than any of her siblings, she is willing to put herself out there and have confidence in herself. She will get jobs that she might not even be qualified for just because she tries and puts herself out there. Faking it until she makes it really can be a good quality, because she will gain experience from having to learn skills or job positions that she gets but isn't ready for at a fast pace. Additionally, she is going to be a really good mother. She is naturally caring and will be a good nurturer for her kids.