Important Things; Important People

There isn't much about my life that I consider to be significant. In the grand scheme of things, there are few people that are impacted by John on a regular basis and fewer still that would notice if I were no longer around. This isn't meant to be a self deprecating kind of post; it's just the way it is.

A little over a week ago, I received a call from the wife of an old magic friend. She called to tell me that her husband is selling all of his magic stuff -- books, videos, cabinets, and lots of effects.
He is dying of cancer.

It had been a number of years since I've seen my old friend. We used to meet for breakfast at a location that is about halfway between us -- 45 minutes drive from his house, 45 minutes from mine. Usually, it was after I had worked a mid-shift. I'd meet him for breakfast and then drive home and sleep.

He's about the same age as my dad and he used to call me "son" most of the time.

I stopped by to visit him last week.
He is frail and on oxygen, but was is good spirits and we had a nice visit. At one point, I asked him how he was doing.
He said, "John, I have had a good life and God has blessed me. Well, you know -- God has blessed you, too. I'm at peace with this. Everybody dies, ... but I'm not looking forward to what's ahead."

Yeah, it kind of made my problems seem small.

When I left, I hugged him and told him I love him. And I meant it.
But I wonder how that really comes across.
How is it that I can tell him I love him and mean it when I've managed to let life intervene and push our friendship to the side?
How can a friend have a diagnosis of stage 4 esophageal cancer for 8 months and I don't even know about it?

I get that I can only know what I've been told and that relationships have two sides, but how is it that we let distance determine how we interact when we have so much technology geared at keeping us connected. I've often said that I am a man that has few friends. Joe has been one of them. I need to be more focused on how I stay connected to the people that are important and to the things that matter most.

If there is someone that has mattered in your life but you've lost touch with them, why not reach out and make a connection today. Just a "Thinking of you" text is all it will take. Send them a link to this post and say, "Let's not let this happen to us."

I'll let you go now.
You have old friends to contact.
Tell them: "God loves you ... and so do I!"

John <><