There really isn't anything better in this world than good friends! Most of my favorite times have involved people who are my friends and so I devote this part of the website to them. First names only are used because you folks know who you are. If you didn't get mentioned, it is a space limit issue, but please let me know you want a listing!
Mom had many friends and I am proud to have become friends with some of
them as an adult also. Pictured here is mom with Irene, one of moms'
best friends through the years. Irene has been very active in her
church and community. She always provides lodging when we visit and
takes us to see nice things and eat good food. Irenes friendship meant
a lot to mom and it means alot to me also.
While living in Wisconsin as a kid, we used to spend time with neighbor kids, including Eleanors'. Eleanor lived just down the street from my grandmas house and when we moved into our own house, was right between our house and grandma. Eleanor also takes good care of us when we visited and it is easy to understand why she was another one of moms closest friends through the years.
Dave and Dawn and their kids live by my father. They are very good to dad by helping him around his house and keeping watch on the property. They have always been very friendly to me and although I don't know them very well I consider them as friends. I appreciate everything they have done for both me and dad over the many years.
When we first moved to Colorado, we lived in an RV at a trailer park.
Just a block away was a small city park, swimming pool, playground,
and a place called Doc's Drive In. Doc
and Linda ran this
family business which featured fast food with a hometown environment.
Mom knew these people much better than I did, but I carry with me the
memories of that time period and how truly kind they were. Folks who
live in a big city with impersonal fast food places miss out on the
charm and attraction of such a spot.
When we moved to our second house in Colorado, Inez was our neighbor to the south. Whether she was caring for her flowerbeds or just relaxing on the porch, she would always have a smile and a friendly greeting to everybody who passed by. We used to invite her to dinner on a regular basis and often eat at her place by invite too. She shared a lot of experiences over the years and became our best friend quickly.
I think it is good to also consider relatives as friends. My brother and his family are my friends too. In addition to being genuine nice people, I have a lot of respect for all of them, including the kids. There is a LOT of talent there too. Make sure to visit their family Web page for some great links, kids stuff, and humor.
My aunt and uncle have been real good friends through the past several years. It is always a relaxing or entertaining time at their place. Between the good food and the variety of activities, sometimes I don't wanna come back home. They have been exceedingly helpful to me these past few years and I hope that in some way I have been to them also.
The last several trips back east have been made better by a visit to
cousin Loris house. The picture is not of Lori, but she would like it
anyway. Seriously, Lori likes cows and some of their landscaping
reflects that. The yard has many fake critters including cows, pigs,
and bunnies that speak to me whenever I visit. They got critters
inside too, including birds, guinea pig, and cats. We all miss Pepper,
but Bagel the Beagle is filling the void nicely. Lori helps me out alot
with what is going on out there. I always enjoy the conversations, but
time goes by too fast. If the town geese let you near, drop by for a
visit.
While in the area, my last three trips have also included a visit with
Ricks family. We got to spend a little time with them during moms last
trip east and we both had a wonderful evening. I have had two trips
since and enjoyed more good places, food, and experiences
on the
streets in the area. I look forward to the next time I go back there
and hope I get to spend more time in the area.
During my high school years I was very active in church related events and the teen group at the Nazarene Church. I met a lot of nice people during those times who not only accepted me for who I was, but helped to challenge me to be all I could be. Here are just a few of the many that I remember.
If anybody who reads this can get me in touch with Reverend Snode and his family, I would really appreciate it. I gained a lot of respect and trust for their family in the short time we had together. They taught me a lot and helped me through two very difficult moments in my life. I am happy to have known them and would like to have contact with them again.
Les, Karen, and their kids were much more than just a minister and his family to me. They were highly dedicated to the church as well as the individuals and the entire community around them. Whether he was all dressed up for a Sunday service, in casual clothes for a youth bible study, or in blue jeans and a t-shirt for a church work day, Les was always involved in sharing and caring for others. There is way too many good things to say, so I'll just leave it at the fact that they left a huge impression on me that will never be forgotten. We lost contact for a long while, but got to visit them twice in the last several years.
Leonard was involved in the church cleaning and regular maintanence. He spent many hours each week making sure everything was nice for the Sunday and Wednesday services. He took great care and pride in his work, but never bragged about it. Every time Leonard was there when I dropped by, we would chat for awhile. Both he and his wife were very friendly people and they left an impression on me.
If you ever have about a week to spend just listening, ask me to share
some of the memories involving Barb. Barb was the teen group leader,
the choir leader, and involved in just about everything else at some
point also. She always has a smile or laugh to share, a tender point
of advice, and wisdom or experience to help teach or comfort you.
Barb always had a lot to do with the presentations of the holiday
special services, Vacation Bible School, and the many pot luck dinners.
She also took part in bringing us teenages to such annual events as the
church teen conferences, the retreats (and camp) and she somehow
still managed to survive the statewide Celebrity Sports
all
night parties (ask me about these). I don't know how she accomplished
everything, but I have an abundance of respect and love for everything
that she did for the church, the teens, and myself personally.
Tiffany was also a very big part in the teen activity when she was old
enough. I don't know how much of that was because Barb was her mom,
but she was a very welcome addition to the group. Tiffany has a great
singing voice and often did solo songs in addition to being in the
choir. I remember that voice whenever I hear Amy Grant's El
Shaddai
song.
Barb also brought me into the church choir. Apparently there was too
much good singing and not enough joyful noise
, but I fixed that.
Thankfully, the beautiful music of Mrs Muller at the piano and Bonnie
at the organ covered up my squalling. (grin) In spite of that, it was
an honor and a pleasure to be a part of the choir. The congregation
never knew how much work was involved and yet the fun we had at the
weekly rehearsals.
There was the time when the church members held a surprize party for
my high school graduation. I didn't know anything was going to happen
beforehand, but it is a good thing I actually DID graduate or all of
that effort would have been wasted. It was an awesome get together with
everybody there. One of my presents was a Bridge
album. I want
everybody to know this music has been a favorite even up to this day,
although I had to buy a tape because I wore out the album from overuse.
I could never forget such other memorable events like: many outstanding
revivals from assorted ministers, musical guests with really big talent,
the banana split that ran the length of the church basement, Barbs
Dukes Of Hazard
driving imitation with the dips in the city
streets, the church bus (oh yeah!), or the church work day where we
reshingled the very steep roof. I can still hear the choir singing
our renditions of songs like: I'll Fly Away
, Jesus Got Ahold
Of My Life
, Rise Again
, I Keep Falling In Love With
Him
, and so many more. I relive these memories each time I listen
to the Bridge
tape.
Thanks to those listed above and many more for all of the laughter and tears, the joys of friendship, and the valuable words of inspiration and teaching as well the examples carried out in their lives. It was truly a pleasure to share that portion of my life with each of you!
Back before the Internet was popular, many of us geeks ran computer
Bulletin Boards (BBS's) so we could text message with other people.
I operated the Circle Of Fellowship BBS
(COF) and I met many
faceless people that way. I also met others through other BBS's that
I visited. Here are some of the ones that I not only got to meet, but
consider to be friends.
Herbert, if you are reading this please contact me. The musical rabbit is still proudly displayed on the breakfront and both it and I would like to restore the lost connection between us. Mom's musical snowman is right beside the bunny and they speak to me often. THANKS!
Chris was active on other BBS's also, but was a very welcome addition to COF. We have since met in person and have interacted quite a few times. Hey Chris, did you ever find out where else you got mentioned on my personal webpage?
For awhile I was working with a local computer users group. Del all but ran their system(s) by himself for quite some time. On several occassions I got to help Del do stuff or answer programming questions. Del is a very special guy and it was a pleasure working with him.
Who says you can't make long distant friends. Mom and I visited Rex and Laynie at least twice on trips back east. Their BBS got network mail from my BBS for awhile. Mom liked Laynie so much through messaging that we arranged a side trip during a vacation. We lost contact when they moved. I got a new address, but they moved again. So Fox and Froggie, if you are out there, please contact me.
There was another special BBS in my area named the Wishbook BBS
.
I could only dream of doing a BBS like Lorne ran. I got the chance to
meet Lorne and found out he is just as nice in person as he is in the
text of a message. Unfortunately, his employer and the giant MicroSoft
company decided to play politics and destoyed his BBS hobby. I was
proud to not only support Lorne but am still proud to call him a friend.
Cindy also messaged on Wishbook and helped to run the BBS for awhile. We got to meet Cindy and her family a few times. If you ever need to find Cindy, just track down a Scrabble game or Star Trek convention. (grin)
Bill also messaged on Wishbook as well as on COF and he helped run Wishbook for awhile. Bill and I still interacted after the days of the BBS were over. He was a skilled and avid musician who taught me quite a bit about how to really listen to music. Bill volunteered his time and services back to the community. Sadly, Bill passed away after a fight with diseases. I will remember him as an all around nice guy with a great spirit and sense of humor.
People who know me know that I support the family operated businesses whenever I can. Usually these businesses have friendlier people who try harder to please customers because they realize how important each one is to their success. One such example is the place where I often go to for breakfast. Waitresses Cody and Kay and the rest always have a smile and (although they tease me alot) are genuinely nice, caring people. Lots of other people must feel the same way as they have many regular customers. They cared for and about my mom when we were going there together and they show how much they also care for me.
While slaving away at the job, it is good to have positive relationships with co-workers. Over the years there have been some exceptionally good experiences and people who I would refer to as friends even though we don't interact outside of the workplace. This is just a short piece about a handful of some of these people.
Barbie was my first manager and was my kind of manager. She demanded good work and treated employees based upon their attitude and work. We got along real good because I did my job. Alice was my manager later on and we worked together well for the same reason. Although Kevin was an assistant manager, he was quite possibly the hardest working person I've ever met. Kevin since went to District Office and it couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. Kevin taught me a lot of good work skills. Liz brought me to a new store location and quickly became my favorite manager. Liz and I worked together often and got a lot of quality work done quickly. Chris was the store director at the time and I like him alot also. Chris knows business, but knows how to take care of good employees too. Joe was my most recent manager and I have much respect for him. He took good care of me and helped me through some difficult situations. Another Liz was the assistant manager then and she also helped me out tremendously.
While doing shelf stocking work, there is often two people working on putting items out for sale. Darla worked with me for quite some time as a co-worker. Darla worked hard and did good work. We got along great and helped each other out almost every day. Judy was a stocker later on who worked with me. Judy and I got along good and we put up many displays that looked terrific. Chris was in recieving for awhile and moved into our department later. I enjoyed working with him and learned from him often.
Other people that I have worked with, although not as often as those listed above, have shown their talent and good work ethics. They are good people to be teamed up with. Buster and Chuck were great with customers and other employees and always had a friendly greeting. Lester and I started together when the store opened and find ourselves again working side by side some 15 years later. Julee, Cindy, and Kelly were at the checkouts and were by far my favorite cashiers and/or managers due to their efforts and attitudes. Dennis keeps me healthy by advising me about produce and how to pick the best stuff. Margaret in customer service is a wonderful person and cares for the people she comes in contact with. More recently, Ryan and Trini are a pleasure to work with. Over the years the job and sometimes the locations have changed, but the memories of these good people live on.
Very honorable mentions go to other people I had contact with during
work hours. Javier kept me in line and helped me out with several
processes. Jeff keeps me up to date on the Chicago Cubs behind the
scenes actions and other such information. Carrie was always very
nice and has been most helpful upon several occasions, though she seems
to have picked up a box fetish
since going to meat deli. (grin)
Somewhere along the way, I met Ninganing, DoDo, and Lala. Though I don't remember much, they were apparently my best friends for awhile as a young child. One good thing about imaginary friends though.....you can make them be whomever you want. (grin)
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