A Friend Dies

A long time friend of mine died the other day. I'd known him for 47 years. At one time we were colleagues in the broadcast business. After awhile we went our separate ways, but we stayed in touch through the years. He was well known in his broadcast environs, mostly in Indiana and Kentucky. He also dabbled in other professions, but his love was broadcasting and he was good at it.

Our friendship began with humor, fun light-hearted one-liners and grew rapidly through mutual interests into a bond of trust, truth and honesty. In the trust, there was a deep mutual respect for the gifts of the other. In the truth, there were the acknowledgements that if one succeeds then so do all and in the honesty there was a simple sharing of the pain and pleasure of life.

When a friend or a colleague passes it always gives us pause. First of all we reflect on our own finiteness, then we resurrect memories of that person; tiny moments of experience long ago tucked into the recesses of our mind and only brought to life because of death. Isn't that ironic. Generally the memories of personal friends are positive and probing into the original reasons for the friendship. Snippets of conversations and laughter rise in the mind eliciting a smile or sadness because of the memory or the loss.

I've often wondered why I have certain friends. What attracted each of us to the other? What commonality and camaraderie sustains the mutual gift of like? Why are we attracted to certain people and not to others?

I also wonder if we had known our friends before we were born. Were we friends on the other side and will we be so again in one to one communication?

I don't know who wrote the following, but it has been on my computer clip list for many years. I think it's appropriate for this post and for my thoughts of my friend.

"When I die, give what is left of me away. And when you need me put your arms around someone and give them what you need to give me. Look for me in the people I've known or loved. If you cannot give me away at least let me live in your eyes and not in your mind. You can love me most by letting hands touch hands and by letting go of children who need to be free. Love doesn't die. People do. So when all that is left of me is love...give me away."

My friend's name is Will Murphy. Requiescat in pace