Yesterday would have been an old friends birthday. He died this summer.
He died in July. We grew up together and whenever I went back home I would look up Ernie. He had the best sense of humor of anyone I know. And he'd give you the shirt off his back. I was a pallbearer. He died like a real man. One of our friends was in the emergency room with Ernie's wife. He had a bleeding esophagus and the doctors couldn't stop the bleeding. They used up all his blood type in the city and they asked him what to do. He told them "It's over". Every time they unhooked a unit of blood they made sure he knew what they where doing. He held his wife's hand and said "It's over now." And he died.
"Life is short, and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those traveling the dark journey with us. Be swift to love; make haste to be kind."
I lost a lifelong friend last year at 46. He had inoperable brain cancer and probably had about six weeks from his diagnosis to his death. I was gratefull for the short duration but it hurt like hell to see him gone.
Hang on to those wonderful memories as long as you can.
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