Another Goodbye....

So, I got a call this morning that one of my dad's best friends had passed away. David or "Yeager" as we called him, and my dad had been friends since grade school. They were next door neighbors growing up and forged a friendship that lasted for decades. My dad had an amazing circle of friends, and yet David stood out. Many of my dad's friends have been a part of my life since birth, but David was the only one who made an effort to stay in touch with me after my dad's passing. He would come over and have dinner with my family on occassion and we kept in touch through e-mail between visits. He helped me to feel connected to my dad. He would share stories with me, some that I had heard a million times, and others that I had never heard. He was an active member of AA. He was the one who told me it was okay to be mad at my dad for some of the things he had done, and yet still love him. In a way, he gave my soul permission to not feel guilty for all the crazy emotions I had about my father's death. In October, David was diagnosed with a treatable cancer and the chemo & radiation seemed to do their job. On Thursday morning he went into surgery to remove the remaining mass, and all went well. However, in the past few months his body had grown weak and he had gotten down to only 130 pounds. And despite the last 5 years of his life being free of his personal demon, alcohol, the many years of abuse had probably wreaked havoc. On Friday he went into cardiac arrest, was revived, and placed on life support. His family made the devastating decision to remove that support this morning. I am truly heartbroken about this loss, and yet thankful for the time I was able to share with him. The service is planned for Wednesday, my father's birthday. I've been strong all day, but now that everyone is in bed, I am a blubbering mess. Please send me some strength for tomorrow and keep us all in your thoughts.

Below is a picture of me with David Toigo, another friend that grew up on the same street with them, and David Yeager is the one behind me. This photo was taken the night after my dad's memorial service. I had a great time that night hanging out with those guys.

"If I don't see you again in this world. I'll meet you in the next. Don't be late." ~Jimi Hendrix