When my brother, a year younger than I, was a young child he used to collect an assortment of bugs in various containers and in his pockets. I tried to empty his pockets before our mom would do the laundry. His collections evolved through the years to glass, rocks and shells we would find along all the Long Island beaches we would frequent together. Later he would collect coins, stamps, and flower and plant seeds for growing. As an adult, collecting baseball cards, books of literature and comic books became his passion.

My brother, Johnny, a gentle and kind soul, died of Covid early in the Pandemic. He was my only sibling. It took me almost 2 1/2 years to be brave enough to go through all his collections. What do I sell and what do I keep? Why am I doing this? Where did Johnny go? Why is he not here? Johnny would want me to find the purpose and the meaning in these questions.