I got an angry comment from my younger brother last week. He was upset and felt ignored. I can’t blame him. In an older post, I listed my family’s long term involvement at St. John Vianney. For some reason, probably just because my memory failed me, I left out Adrian’s 5 year tenure as a drummer during the youth Mass. In his words, “[he] rocked that place and woke everyone up, like it or not!” Danny was also part of the youth choir, but was usually the cantor (lead singer). I always enjoyed those Masses. It was cool to see my brother up there doing what he loved and I felt proud of him when he was complimented by the priest or other parishioners.

Adrian still has the drum kit set up in his room, but no longer plays with a band or with the youth choir. He’s much too busy working a couple of jobs. At dawn he gets up to work at UPS. In the afternoons, he heads off to his second job as the site director of an after school program at local middle school. Adrian’s been working with the after school program for a few years now, and just recently took on the responsibility of being the site director. I know the dealing with paperwork and misbehaving kids stresses him out, but I know he also enjoys teaching his kids to drum. He’s doing a great job. (Fun fact: my mom — who has worked in Hacienda Heights schools for 20 years or so — is one of the people Adrian oversees at his site.)

Adrian’s no longer rocking out on the drums at church, on the field (drum line in the band) or in local clubs with his band, but he’s still making me proud.