July 30th, 2008

There have been times when I’ve considered my devotion to my brothers to be a bit unusual. I continue to grieve over my brother Rick and worry all the time about Scott and Corey. Both are grown men, one is the director of 911 services in the Ray County, Missouri area and the other is in the Navy. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them. Buffalo Bill Cody’s sister felt the same way about him. The book I’ve been writing about his life would not be complete without touching on the relationship he had with his sisters. His older sisters, Julia and middle sister, Helen both wrote books about him. They were proud of him and helped manage his ranch and hotel. His little sisters, May and Eliza were equally dedicated to him. Cody made sure they were taken care of too. He had homes built for them and supported them monetarily. When it became clear that their brother had married badly and wanted a divorce, all of Cody’s sister championed him in court and to the press. I have a great picture of Buffalo Bill flanked on either side by his sisters. It’s an endearing photograph. His sister did everything they could to keep their brother from being physically or emotionally harmed, but were unsuccessful. If only they’d been able to convince him that the woman he was marrying was a shrew. But just like my brother Rick, Cody wouldn’t have listened. Helen Cody said of her brother, “We regarded him as a superior being&it seemed so fit and proper that the promise of the stars concerning his future should be fulfilled that never for a moment did we weaken in our belief that great things were in store for our brother.” I admire the Cody sisters loyalty to their brother. Maybe what I feel for my brothers isn’t that unusual after all.