If You Will Pardon Me For a Moment...

Unfortuantely, I can not find it in myself to post my usual radical views on the world. I think you all will understand.

About 8.30 this evening I got a phone call from my friend, Jill. I know I've blogged about her before, so for those references, please fell free to search through my previous entries. It's pretty obvious how much she means to me.

I could tell something wasn't right. If I only I knew. She had just gotten off the phone with her mother. Yes, THAT phone call from her mother. Her father passed away.

About a year ago, Dave was diagnosed with lung cancer. After a fierce battle, and several rounds fo chemotherapy, the cancer went into remission. But the fight took a lot out of Dave, and whike he was getting stonger every day, he never fully recovered.

I knew Dave before I met Jill. In fact, I was attempting to contact Dave when I met her. Dave and I were involved in several fantasy sport leagues together. And we got to be really good friends. And from that, Jill and I got to be really good friends.

I don't think I can really explain how close Dave and I actually were-- and I'm not sure Jill really knew how far beyond fantasy sports it carried. But there are a few moments that defined our friendship.

Dave was like a father to me. You know those things you really can't talk to your own parents about? He was the guy I turned to. And he was always willing to give advice, or say something to cheer me up (two things his daughter is also able to do).

During my second year in juniors, I was living in Cincinnati-- which about 2 hours from Tell City, Indiana, where they live. And he told me, if I ever needed anything... if I ever got into trouble... to call him-- even if it meant bailing me out of jail. It made me feel more at home in Cincinnati, knowing someone who really cared was nearby. I'm sure my billets would have helped anyway possible. But when someone says they would bail you out of jail (not like I've ever done anything where it would be necessary), you take notice.

But my strongest, and most favourite memory of Dave involves Jill as well. Both had been planning on coming to Cincinnati to watch me play hockey while I was there. Unfortunately, I was only there for a couple weeks, before I was sent to Winnipeg on a loan. So, it never happened. But sometime after, and it may have been after I left juniors, I had a nice conversation with him... and he knew how I felt about his daughter-- it wasn't exactly a secret. Yet his words to me are one's I'll never forget. "Someday, I hope to have you as a son-in-law." Considering I wasn't even dating his daughter, I was in shock. But he made me feel good, to know that I must be doing something right, that someone thinks I am acceptable to date or even marry his daughter.

God bless you, Dave. And God bless your family.