IF YOU ARE LUCKY...

If you are lucky, like I have been,

you have one of those friends of the opposite sex

that was a staple in your high school years.

I had many friends of the opposite sex but Billy was my

closest. If my girlfriends, Laurie and Ann are called my besties,

then I guess I would call Billy my "boystie"

Unlike many believed at the time, we never dated nor

looked at each other in that way.

I think we both understood that to breach the friendship would be

to end it forever and the relationship was so important to us at the time.

I was dating HOBL who was in the army and

Billy was dating others. However, every night, no matter what,

we spoke on the phone. We hung up with whomever we were 

speaking to that night and always, always had a phone conversation.

It always lasted for hours. One hour was a short conversation.

No days of cordless phones.

I had the old black house phone with a wire long enough to 

go all the way up the stairs to my room but mostly I just stayed

right there in the room the phone was in.

I wish I remember what all we spoke about all those nights.

We probably saved the world a few times.

We spoke of many but no matter what we talked about,

we never hurt our friendship by sharing with others what was discussed.

Because of this bond, we may have lost touch as adults but

he has always had a special place in my heart.

Then came facebook and one of the first people I reconnected with

was Billy, It was not often we chatted via computer but

enough times that I knew all about his wonderful wife, CC

but most of his writings were about his little daughter, Sloane.

She was a junior in high school when we first found Facebook

and he told me all about her beautiful red hair, how his life

was surrounded around this daughter of his.

Then, just a few days ago, there is a post on Facebook that his 

precious child, his Sloane, his baby has died.

She was a new mother and only 19.

I am in shock. I am full of pain for my dear "Boystie"

I had followed their fears and triumphs when 

she had her little baby boy a few months ago premature

and I cheered in my living room on the day I saw that they were 

able to bring their little grandson home.

This death hit me hard, not for myself but knowing how much

my dear friend must be suffering, he and his wife, CC.
I, since then, have followed he and CC and Sloane's facebook wall
just hurting so much for all of them. How in the world
do you do this but then to do it with such grace and faith
as my friends have, I am so proud of them all.

How in the heck do you find the strength they both showed in their

writings on Facebook?   I am in awe of these parents.

All my old feelings of the friendship we shared came flooding back.

I felt the need to be there for him.

I remembered how hard it was for him when he lost his little sister, Paige

and then his mother. I knew just how his heart was back then

so I know his heart is breaking but the strength, the strength is amazing.

Saturday my dear friend will bury his precious, beautiful daughter.

I texted with him this morning saying if I could I would drive there to

Tennessee and be with he and his family.

If one thing comes of the death of this wonderful child,

a friendship has once again become important to us.

As he reminded me this morning, as he prepares to say goodbye to Sloane,

"hug your kids every chance you get"

and the memory comes back of probably why he and I spoke 

so much as teens. Because he and I, we both were never afraid to talk

about deep subjects.

The subject on hand today? Loving your family.

Love to the whole Comeaux family, her fiance' and the

father of her son and his family.

 and prayers that Sloane's little

boy will grow with the memory of his Mother who loved him 

sooo much in a short amount of time.

I know that Billy and CC will spend the rest of their lives

making sure that not only is this grandson of theirs loved

but that he know of his mother.

I love you, dear friend.