"The Car"

By Amy Adamo

My first real memories of Brian Hopper relate to "The Car", as Sara also pointed out.  At the time Brian entered our family's lives, Sara and I were at the impressionable ages of the early teen years. He drove into our lives with what, from my point of view, was a cool car and a cool demeanor.  He was immediately kind and loving to Suzi's probably very silly and enamored younger sisters, never treating either of us with so much as an annoyed glance at our behavior.  I loved him like an older brother from that point on.


So, back to the car:  a funny story.  I loved "The Car" as it was my first experience with a cool car.  And I know Brian loved it too.  All the wonderful things shared so far about Brian's love and genuine care for those around him reign true - even through "The Car's" demise, suffered at my hands.  You see, I was fortunate enough to be living with Suzi and Brian that summer.  I was almost 17 and they let me come and stay with them, work for them, taught me things about working in the kitchen, things about love, and life, and mostly about myself.  The other wonderful thing they taught me was how to drive a standard, which "The Car" was.  Suzi drove me all over Shrewsbury, challenging me on steep hills, encouraging and teaching all the ins and outs of a standard.  The one thing wrong with "The Car", I was told, was the emergency brake did not work, so it had to be parked in gear.  Well, on my first big run of driving "The Car" to work by myself, I started it in the garage, forgetting it was in gear.  It crashed into the side of Jeannie and Ed's garage, massively denting the driver's door and scratching the heck out of it, also damaging the garage.  I was MORTIFIED...no idea what to do. It was "The Car!!" Anyway, the long and the short of this story is that Brian, whatever he was feeling, never let me see anything but love and concern for how I felt and whether I was ok.  It was beyond anything I had ever expected in forgiveness, and Brian has never acted in any other way that I have seen since then, to anyone.


We have talked much over the years about running, lifting, injuries and exercise and training in general.  As all are attesting, he is an inspiration in this world, even if being the only one getting out for a run on our long PA visits.  "Practicing" for this race (what I am doing at the moment can hardly be considered training) is motivated by the gift you are giving, Brian, and the gift that you are.  What better thing to focus on while running but your suffering through this sacrifice you're making for your dad. 



Brian, thank you for your committment to God's mission, to your wife, to your girls, to your own family and to us Duryea's, and to yourself. We are blessed by your talents and your examples of love and forgiveness. 


I am inspired!  GO TEAM BRIAN HOPPER!