On February 3rd, 2015, my oldest sister, Susie Will Stallings Brooks died of complication of a stroke. This for me, her baby brother was a devastating blow in my life. Not even my family knew at the time how destroyed I was. It was all I could do to compose myself at the funeral. My brother, Fred, could tell I was struggling with my composure when he leaned over and tap me on the back. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. I nodded my head saying I was alright. Knowing I was tearing apart inside. Deep within the depth of my emotions and my memories of Susie, I wanted to say something at the funeral but I realized if I had, I would have been up there for hours versus two minutes which was allowed. However, at that moment, God put it on my heart to write this book about the relationship that Susie and I had through the private and intimate conversations we shared throughout my life of her raising me and three of my brothers. This book is my way of sharing Susie's legacy with the world, because she certainly was the world to me. This book is about her sacrifices, her unconditional love, her promise, her challenges, and her methods that she used in order not to allow me to fail. This book will explain why she was called "Baby Sister". This book will help all the people who new her to understand why she did what she did and the way she did it. This book will put in prospective why all of my brothers and sisters looked to her for all the answers. Most of all, this book will show people what a magical bond she and I had from the very first day I lost my biological mother. Susie Will Stallings Brooks was so much more than a mother, a tremendous 2nd grade educator, an outstanding wife, and an incredible cook. She was the magnificent woman who throughout all of her achievements looked back and reached down and pulled me and my brothers from the brink of privation and gave us a life. This book is dedicated to an unselfish untenable woman. A woman we called "Baby Sister"!!!
