I'm in very hot Surprise, Nevada. Getting ready to attend my best friend's memorial service. I wrote a little remembrance of our lives together. Hopefully, I can get through it.
Most of my lifelong friends here today have not seen my ostomy. And even though I'm wearing a support belt, it will be standing proud under my shirt. But I will stand up in front and carry on. It's what my friend would have wanted.
Thinking of you BB. So sorry for your loss. No doubt your friend will be looking down and smiling.
Hugs !
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I'm sorry for your loss, Dan. I hope you got through the remembrance okay. Unfortunately, the longer we live, the more we experience these losses.
Daniel
So sorry for your loss. I am sure your friend will be looking down and smiling on you.
Thanks everyone for the kind words and support.
Well... I got through two words... then couldn't continue. My wife was behind me at the podium; she took over and finished. Sigh. I'm surprised I remain so emotionally fragile 16 months post-op.
My friends, family, and extended families were there. Many flew in from Hawaii. It was an excellent service.
Final lines I couldn't say:
"As we got older, our priorities and responsibilities changed. We became adults, started our careers and families. But inside, we were always those young boys of summer."
Rain on the horizon in Surprise, Arizona.
Hello BB.
Alongside everyone else, I offer my condolences for your loss.
I have written and orated many eulogies but their are still some for close friends and family that make it difficult to control my emotions at the time of delivery.
A few weeks ago, at a memorial for my brother-in-law, I was spared this task because 'someone' had thoughtfully arranged for a professional to read out my rhyme.
It was such a relief to hear the eulogy read by someone else and for me to experience the emotions and choking up inside, without the having to share that aspect with the whole congregation.
Best wishes
Bill
Had a bit of wild weather. Lightning, winds, rain... all under 102 F heat.
Clearing now with dramatic moon glimpses.
Condolences, Dan, the fact that you were there was enough; you're a good man. Regards, IGGIE
My condolences, Beach Boy. Never had lifelong friends, moved around too much, but longtime acquaintances are just as good methinks. Around me, people also die, or just drop out of the picture due to decrepitude.
Just ruminating: with your name, I think that Don Henley comes to mind for "Boys of Summer" before Roger Kahn. We did live in Hollywood in the 1960s, so I, too, remember the California blond girls and tanned and muscular boys riding waves. As is common with people, we like to hang on to good memories when we were young. " When we were young and full of life and not prepared to die" as in the song FERNANDO. Many other songwriters used that theme.
And then, we hope that "while we're not as good as we once were, we could still be good once as we ever were."
In the end, when we lose someone we love, time heals, but fond memories of times with the departed as much, after taking time out to allow ourselves to grieve.
Nice thoughts about life and aging.
My friend suffered from early-onset dementia, manifesting itself over several years, robbing him of his memories and personality. We're fortunate we can recall our youthful days, every year fading farther into the past.
Sorry for your loss Beachboy. It's good that your wife was there to take over for you. I've never understood how someone could speak eloquently, or even speak at all for that matter, at the funeral of a loved one. I'm sure your friend would have understood. Remember when we used to go to weddings? Now they have become funerals. The price of living long I guess.
Terry
So sorry for your loss, BB. I'm sure your friend would be so proud that you tried to speak. You are very lucky to have a wife that stands in for you to complete what you started. It is so sad that we experience so many losses as we age. Most of my friends have passed away. Just cherish all the fond memories.
