I love friends. I love having people in your life that know you for who you are. I love having people in your life that have your back no matter what! Other than my wife, Jody Pickett is my best friend. We are separated by a 1000 miles, but if I needed him tomorrow he would be on a plane in a heartbeat. I may not talk to him everyday, but as best friends you are not required to do that. Best friends are secure in their relationship with one another. A phone call everyday doesn't justify that relationship. It would be nice to talk to him more, but sometimes that just doesn't happen.
My staff and I recently watched the old movie Stand By Me, with River Phoenix, Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and Keifer Sutherland. If you haven't seen that movie stop what you are doing and go rent/buy that movie now. It will make you smile, laugh and cry.
It's a movie about young friends and how those friends can come in your life for a certain time frame, and life happens, and they can just become faces in the crowd. In the movie Will Wheaton and River Phoenix are best friends, and at the end of the movie Will Wheaton's older version (played by Richard Dreyfus) says he has never had friends like he did when he was 12 yrs old.
I had three of the best friends growing up as a kid, Matt Cook, Josh McKaskle, and Aaron Hawley. These guys were with me through some of the best and worst times of my life. All the funniest and coolest sleep overs involved these three guys. All the Nintendo games we set new high scores on and beat the final bad guy (except for Ninja Gaiden) all involved these guys. All the delirious state, Coke induced, Twinkie dosed late nights all involved these guys. When my grandfather and sister passed away with in 5 months of each other, these guys were there for me. These guys were just part of the family. My sister still calls them all Josh Gist, Aaron Gist, and Matt Gist. They were my brothers.
Oh Ninja Gaiden how I want to beat you!!
As we grew up and our lives took different directions, we lost contact with each other. Josh is an electrician in Louisiana, has a son, and is about to re-marry. He and I have had a couple a "bump ins" in the past year or so, but things are just not the same. Our conversations are always pleasant, but it seems like light years from when we were younger. Matt joined the Navy out of High School. He moved to Delaware and is now married with 2 beautiful baby girls. The last I spoke to him was on Myspace.... HAHAHAHA....and he seems to be doing great! Aaron is a high school choir director at the High School Friday Night Lights is based on. He and I talk a good bit still, and see each other over the holidays. He and I have stayed the closest throughout the years.
I really wish I could have stayed close to those guys. I wish we could all still hang out together and be "kids" again. But....that's what happens in life. Sadly, people come and go in our lives, so take a moment now to just thank God for the people in your life. Be sure to spend more time with them and be sure to tell them how much you care, because you may look up one day and they maybe gone.
John
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