My little brother would have turned 19 today. This is one of the only photos I will ever have of him & I as adults. The morning after everything happened I drove back to Minnesota. I stopped to get coffee early. The world just looked different that day (and has ever since). People looked different. Not better. Not worse. Just different. It was like every day up until that point was lived in black & white. And for the first time I was seeing color. The meaning behind the expression on the barista's face. The man sitting in the back corner typing profusely. The person in front of me impatiently waiting to order. They all had lives. I didn't know the context of theirs. And they didn't know the context of mine. But the signs were there. The body language was there. And neither of us said a thing about it. "Hey, how are you doing?" the barista muttered. "I'm doing okay. How are you?" I responded. "Good. What can I get you today?" __ I see the flaw in that now. It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to say it out loud. It's okay to say it to strangers. To friends and family. It's okay. Happy birthday buddy. Thank you for showing me what it's like to live in color & for pushing me to do something meaningful with my life. I miss you. #justQ 🖖🏽🖤 …see more