A thought
Went to a visitation tonight. Good guy that went to the same church we went to when I was growing up. He passed away this week. I spent a lot of time thinking about him today, which surprised me, because I'd only run into him a handful of times in the past 20 years, and few in the past ten, as his health declined. Still, he was in my thoughts quite a bit today.
John Cooley was a good guy, though.
I was a weird kid.
Not completely weird. Not in the weirdo setting fires in Old Lady Semple's mailbox kind of way. Just a curly-headed, heavyset, bookish kid who grew up to 6'3" by the time he was 12. I probably wasn't that weird. I felt weird, though. I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. Even among friends, I sometimes felt like an outsider. I guess all kids feel that way.
I still feel that way, sometimes. I guess we all do.
John had a way, though.
He never made me feel like I was weird. He made me feel like part of the group. He made everybody feel like part of the group.
He was genuinely interested.
He always had a joke and was ready to talk to you about anything.
It may not have meant a thing in the world to him, an adult treating a quiet kid on unsure footing like he was just one of the guys. It was just his way. I always appreciated him for that. The world needs more people like that.
John Cooley was a good guy, though.
I was a weird kid.
Not completely weird. Not in the weirdo setting fires in Old Lady Semple's mailbox kind of way. Just a curly-headed, heavyset, bookish kid who grew up to 6'3" by the time he was 12. I probably wasn't that weird. I felt weird, though. I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. Even among friends, I sometimes felt like an outsider. I guess all kids feel that way.
I still feel that way, sometimes. I guess we all do.
John had a way, though.
He never made me feel like I was weird. He made me feel like part of the group. He made everybody feel like part of the group.
He was genuinely interested.
He always had a joke and was ready to talk to you about anything.
It may not have meant a thing in the world to him, an adult treating a quiet kid on unsure footing like he was just one of the guys. It was just his way. I always appreciated him for that. The world needs more people like that.
posted by Tommy at
19:27
1 Comments:
Big T, man, it's been a LONG time since i've knocked on your door. Good to see you still around. Like walking through the old neighborhood seeing that most have moved away and a few old folks still hanging on. Guess i miss Eric at SWG the most. Whatever happened there?
Blogging is back in my blood...that time whore facebook has gotten old.
Anyway, good to see you man. Keep on banging.
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