Numb

A few months ago I got involved in this Facebook thing. Found a good friend in China that wasn't supposed to be there according to what we last knew and my best friend and I joined on the spot. There's a downside to it. But for me the good far outweighs the bad. What I love the most is reconnecting with friends that I've lost touch with and always wondered what happened to. At their moment in my life, they made an impression on my heart and I never forgot. It's good to see their face again. To remember what it is that made them important enough to me not to ever forget. To hopefully reconnect and stay in touch. Today I saw a update that stopped me cold.

It read "Missing jessie. He passed july the 4th...we will miss you brother". I quickly emailed a note to see what was going on, praying it wasn't true and the response just made me numb and very very sad.

You see soon after I joined facebook Justin found me. I was so glad. He had been the one true friend my brother had growing up and another little brother in my heart. When my brother was picked on, Justin was his friend and stayed that way thru it all. He had a brother that was my age and he was the same kind of diamond in the rough. Played Mr. Tough but underneath Jessie had the heart of a giant. They went to school with us while living with their grandparents and only were in our lives for a short few years but they made their mark and always were in our thoughts and hearts. Both Justin and Jessie were good friends that didn't participate in the normal pecking order or ruthlessness that so often happens growing up. Gentle, Kind, Fun, and didn't we all have our wild moments?! Good memories! Great friends...

Jessie did die on July 4th in a freak accident. He left behind a wife, a brother and a lot of friends. I don't think he knew how many as I emailed some of the kids we grew up with to break the news. Everyone remembered him and it was with smiles and good memories. That's the true mark of a friend and Jessie was that and a lot more, especially to his family. As I reflect on this, I think of three things... One is that there is no guarantee in our lives- some of us will leave this world sooner the others. The second thing is what do we want to be remembered for after we're gone. The third is simply this, Find the people that made their mark on your heart and tell them. Spend time with them- reconnect. Do we want to be remembered for being so busy all the time or for being a true friend and making our mark on someones heart. That's something that's been on my heart a lot lately and that post about Jessie's death just brought it all home.

Goodbye my friend. Your gone but the mark you left will be here forever.