My goodness! I couldn’t sleep and I opened this thread....I’m overcome by the heartfelt words but everyone of those words have meant the world to me. I checked in but haven’t heard if he was called home yet. I hope he has been so that his family can begin to heal. They weren’t shy about letting each other know how much they loved one another and I’m sure there’s nothing left unsaid. I told him I loved him after each phone call and my other buddy (his lifetime best friend is at his side with his family) told me that he knew how much I truly loved him and that he loved me just as much so my copious tears are for those young grandsons that will never know their awesome grandpa.
I was talking and crying with our daughter last night about Bill, cancer and death. Our daughter is 13 but she’s wise beyond her years, she is an “old soul”. I explained that if we live a good life we come into friendships that change our lives for the better and that the longer we live the more loss we must endure. The best we can do to honor those that go before us is to live a happy and full life. To continue to seize life and live deliberately, always keeping the love and lessons that we’ve learned along the way with us in our hearts.
I’ve had such an outpouring of kindness from you all that I’m once again humbled by the sincerity of the great men here. It’s a special person that we choose to spend our time outdoors with and my friend Bill was a time tested friend. He knew the woods and the water and it was always a great time with him. Those old fishing and hunting partners are not easily replaced.
Ranger Green, I love that poem and it really hit home for me. It got the tears flowing again but was a nice thing to read this morning.
Ed, I think of you often as we have shared some of our personal tribulations as it regards losing loved ones. I thank you once again for your kindness and support. I hope that someday I’ll get a chance to thank you in person.
