An old schoolmate passed away ten days ago. I knew him from age six. One of my first teammates on the basketball court. I remember how sad I felt when I heard the news that he would no longer be playing basketball with us because of a knee disease that afflicts youth in their growth spurts. I thought at the time that it was a lifetime sentence to no more hoops ..... but he was back the next season. We were altar boys and patrol boys together. After high school, we lost touch for a number of years. We crossed paths two or three times in the grocery store but there was never much more than, "Hello, how have you been?" Until that is, ten years ago, maybe less, when we re-connected through facebook. He organized a reunion for several of us old friends for a Saturday afternoon of bowling, memories and storytelling. He paid for it all and paid for the beer. A prankster growing up but never in a malicious way. He made a great number of friends in his lifetime. And now he's gone. Many people will miss him.
I've lost way too many old schoolmates lately. I've accepted that I'm no longer immortal. Too often I wonder, who's next?
