In Ben's words: To his little brother at his wedding

Sarah: Ben you haven't written a movie review in awhile.
Ben: (silence)
Sarah: OK, so I'm going to put your toast online.
Ben: (silence)

OK, so this whole conversation happened while Ben was in the other room watching X-Files, but I'm sure he won't mind if I post this. So, here goes:

Toast: July 3, 2010
Luke and Sarah's Wedding

I think the first time I got a real sense of respect for my brother was the green and white scrimmage in 1994. I was a senior. He was a sophomore. I always knew my brother looked up to me, but I was starting to get annoyed with his modeling his life after mine. We played the same positions on the football team and every time I did something I, in my limited high school mentality, felt like he did blindly whatever I did. All I would have to do is say walk this way and he would comply. He even got his enduring love of Aerosmith from me (an infatuation which I grew out of). I wasn't so much annoyed with him, I think I was just ready to grow up and apart from him and all the people that had been part of my childhood. Anyway, at that game, we were on opposite teams. I was on offense and the play called for me to block him straight up, which I figured would be no problem. I figured I'd go through him like a rag doll. I must have had toys in my attic, because he stood me to a standstill as we met, with a resounding crack, in the hole. If he thought he was moving me he was crazy, but I couldn't move him either. I realized then that he had what it takes to exist without me.

I was out of touch for a while with my little brother. I was living on the edge in my college permanent vacation. Fast forward to 2006. I was working at Fisher, and guess what Luke was doing? No surprise, he was working at Fisher. That year I got a visit from Lisa during parent teacher conferences, which I thought was weird because Emilee was a sophomore and I didn't have her in class. But it wasn't Emilee she wanted to talk to me about. It was my brother and her older daughter she was interested in. She asked me how he was and I told her he was F.I.N.E. Even a blind man could see what she was after so I told her he was single. When she said her daughter's name was Sarah I started planning this toast. I knew she would be his angel. So, with sweet emotion, I said he was available and would she please set him up.

I tease Luke about his love of Aerosmith, and, as the more Aerosmith oriented of you have no doubt picked up on, I have teased no fewer than 13 times about Aerosmith in this very speech. But his devotion to Aerosmith is indicative of his attitude toward other things in his life. He relies on the reliable, he trusts in what has never let him down. He doesn't cast things off casually. I thank God for that, because with all I've been through, Luke has been there. And the most loved and adored new member of the family since the last Sarah entered the family has been there too. So raise your glasses and I will raise my tube so we can salute my favorite brother and my favorite sister-in-law. May you both dream on, dream until your dreams come true. Cheers

Cheers, Ben! Thanks for sharing. Now get on that movie review. Your fans are waiting.