I received sad news last week when I was told that my friend B suddenly passed away. He got very sick and within 3 days time he was no longer with us. It was a shock to me as B had always been as healthy as an ox and hardly ever got sick.
B's funeral was today and I was quite somber. I had a ton of regret because I had lost contact with B and I just felt awful. It was only a few weeks back that I had thought of him, but never got around to calling him. Now, I'll never have the chance to renew our friendship and to catch up on what's happened to each of us within the last few years.
I saw some mutual friends at the funeral. They told me that in the last 3 years, B had become a collector of classic cars, an avid dirt-biker, and a big fan of motorcycles. As we got to talking, it was apparent that each of us had fond memories of B and all of them involved his sense of humor and happy-go-lucky ways.
B had served in the US Marine Corps and was sent to Iraq for Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield. He even has a picture with President George Bush (Bush Senior) to prove it. When he came back from Iraq, he got into a serious car accident and broke his back. He was lucky that he never lost the use of his legs and I'm sure that played a big part in how he lived his life. He had been through so much that he had no fear and lived every moment to its fullest. It's a lesson that we can all learn from him.
As I sat through the funeral mass, all these funny moments that I had with B came flooding into my head. My mood started to lighten as I realized that while I should mourn the loss of my friend, I should be grateful for the good times...that B would not want me to be sad, but to recount those moments with a smile and chuckle.
He received a hero's farewell at the Riverside National Cemetery with all the honors bestowed upon a person who served our country. I said goodbye to B, but he will not be forgotten.
God Bless, my friend. I will miss you.
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