Last weekend was my 59th birthday. AJ Dawg and I hit The Mothman Festival early and scrambled around Huntington a bit. We then settled in to face the evening.
A dark night was facing me. It was going to be a night of sitting in my chair waiting on my best friend and partner to walk through the door. She wasn’t going to come though…she passed away a couple of weeks ago.
when she passed, another great female friend of mine messaged me her condolences she said I was Betty’s rock Betty knew for over thirty years that no matter what I’d be there for her
Those Words meant much to me I’ve played them over and over in my mind
With the darkness closing in on my birthday, out of nowhere I got a message on Facebook. It was from another great friend from the past. We hadn’t drank a beer together in over ten years. But there was a time 25 years ago that if you saw one of us….you saw the other one.
Steve and I survived three companies together. We’ve been to Myrtle Beach, Canada, and even a Slayer concert in Columbus.
He didn’t let me give any excuses. He was out front. He was buying me a beer.
He saved me from the dark night that was coming for me.
There are people we meet in our lives. Some people we think are our friends. We meet them, work with them, live next to them…but years later we barely recall their names and shoot them a casual wave in passing on the street.
Then there are the rocks. The friends that are there and may not even realize.
The evening Betty passed, I got a call out of the blue. It was Damon from Cumberland, Md. We were best friends from 70 to 76. We have seen each other a handful of times over the years. The last time was twenty years ago. He doesn’t have Facebook so we rarely talked.
He was passing through Huntington on his way from Kentucky to Maryland. He had no idea what the night would hold for me. But he was there to give me strength. It was like someone somewhere knew. It was like he was sent there.
I have met a lot of people in my life. Many people I have called friends. I am very fortunate to have rocks. Rocks like Jeff, Tim, and Jimmie. Friends of over 50 years. I don’t see them a lot but they are there. John from way down in North Carolina called me both when Betty died and on my birthday. There are some solid rocks in my life. I don’t want to slight anyone by leaving a name out.
They are there. I am here too. For if they truly need me….I will be there.
More than friends…..rocks.