post college friendships

I am continuing to write on friendships.  My last year of college I had no friends, as Dallas Moore moved back to Bethel, Ohio.

After college I laid asphalt for two years.  During that time, my best friend was Bob Walls.  I also dated a couple of gals.  Then I went off to Seminary.  My best friend there was Vic Heister.  Again, what a fine man he was.  So talented.  He could build or fix anything.  He was from Bethel, Oklahoma.  Two friends from Bethel.  That is interesting.  I learned so much from him about construction.  We installed hot tubs and built decks.  I found him a year ago thanks to the internet, but we have not really kept up.  You know, people get busy and life goes on.

After seminary, I served my first churches in Cache and Indiahoma, Oklahoma.  You will have to mapquest those to see where they are at.  I did not really make any long time friendships there, although there were many people in the congregation I dearly loved.  Daryl and Syd Perry to name a few.

I moved back to Kansas City in 1986.  I rekindled my friendship then with Bob Walls.  I found Bob a few years ago.  When he got remarried I performed the service.  He had a brain tumor a few years ago.  It was removed and he is doing well.  He lives in Overland Park, but we don't really stay in touch very much.  That is bad on my part, because he is a great guy.  Odd, all of my friends have been really great guys.

Cathy and I moved to Lebanon, MO in 1989.  We lived there for two years.  My best friend there was Tim Marcum.  Isn't it odd that I have only had one friend at a time for all of these years?  Tim and I played golf together and took third place in a 3 on 3 basketball tournament.  He was in the Army and was a tremendous man. 

We moved to Princeton, MO in 1991.  I loved the people of the Princeton church.  My best friend there was Roger Grout.  He truly is one of the finest men I have ever known.  Our souls were knit together. It crushed me when we left him and moved to Lee's Summit.  I will never forget the day that I loaded up the last van load and pulled out of the driveway.  I sobbed for 30 miles from Princeton to Bethany.

That does not mean that I don't love it here in Lee's Summit, the tears were a testament to what a wonderful friend he was.  More tomorrow.

By the way, today is my Dad's birthday.  In some ways, my Dad was a great friend to me as well.  Although he once told me that he could not be my Dad and my friend at the same time, he was wrong.  I miss him a lot.  Happy Birthday Dad.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.