I've finally found a job. I haven't had a full-time job (at least a paying, full-time job) for nearly four years and it's been very stressful and trying at times.
I'm very fortunate to have some great friends who have carried me through these times. Joe and Bob are the best friends I have and have been for many years. Some of the things they've done for me, they realize how much it means. Many of the things they've done for me I don't think they do.
Both have families and I feel very much a part of their families. I've know their kids and their pets all their lives. I follow what their kids do and take pride in the things they do well.
Last year, Bob's son drew a picture of his family tree and it included me. Two weeks ago, I stayed with Bob's entire family following his father's funeral. When Bob's wife was getting the kids ready to go, their four-year old daughter announced she wasn't going because she was coming home with me.
A few weeks earlier, I was at the funeral of another friend's father and I got to revisit many friends, including my fishing partner, Marko, and Boli, who's fathered had passed away after a bout with ALS. Although it was a sad occassion, it was also a celebration of Boli's dad's life and it was great to be with those friends and family. That was true of both funerals.
Those four guys are as close to me as my own family and they, and their families, mean the world to me.
One person who really came into my life a couple of years ago is J. Although we've know each other for many years, J and I really hit it off a couple of years ago and have become really good friends since then.
I stayed with J when I went to Boli's father's funeral. I was there to see the Packers in the NFC wildcard and championship games, as well as on my birthday, at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Without my mom, I really don't feel like I have a home any longer but J's house has become a place where I've been able to retreat to and spend some time by myself. The relaxation, mentally, I get there has been wonderfully refreshing and something I don't think I can ever explain to anyone how much it has meant to me. J has looked after me and cared for me when I need it most.
I cannot thank her enough nor ever even attempt to repay what her friendship has meant to me over the last two years. She really was a friend to me when I needed one, and I hope she knows how much I appreciate her.
That Girl Could Sing
Jackson Browne
She was a friend to me when I needed one
Wasn't for her I don't know what I'd done
She gave me back something that was missing in me
She could have turned out to be almost anyone
Almost anyone, with the possible exception
Of who I wanted her to be
Running into the midnight with her clothes whipping in the wind
Reaching into the heart of the darkness for the tenderness within
Stumblin' into the lights of the city and then back in the shadows again
Hanging onto the laughter that each of us hid our unhappiness in
Talk about celestial bodies
And your angels on the wing
She wasn't much good at stickin' around
But that girl could sing, she could sing
In the dead of night she could shine a light
On some places that you've never been
In that kind of light you could lose your sight
And believe there was something to win
You could hold her tight with all your might
But she'd slip through your arms like the wind
and be back in flight back into the night
Where you might never see her again
The longer I thought I might find her
The shorter my vision became
Running in circles behind her
And thinking in terms of the blame
But she couldn't have been any kinder
If she'd come back and tried to explain
She wasn't much good at saying goodbye
But that girl was sane
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