i lost a good friend yesterday....I'm not sure how to cope with this one....i've lost friends and relatives before, but this feels a lot different....maybe because i'm older now and i have kids of my own.....maybe it was the fact that i worked all day with him and was the last one to see him alive. Life can be a mother****er....i really don't want to bring everyone down....if anything carlos taught me that you can have fun while being a slave to the 9 to 5. We always laughed at that "go get 'em" at***ude that some of our fellow co-workers had.....i'm not sure if i'll be the same...this is definitely a turning point in my life RIP: Carlos Zepeda "T.L." anyhow, i've been floating around the HAMB under different names for years now and i really dig the "fraternal" atmosphere that has always embraced the jalopy journal...i think we'd give the freemasons a run for their money!!!
tough stuff for sure...celebrate the good you had together. Consider it an honor that you were the last human "touch" to see him off.
i know were your coming from . friend i worked along side past away last year. cancer. got him real quick. i lost a daughter alittle while back. if you have good friends,hang with them.if you have kids hug them every day. you never know what tomorrows bringing
Friends and family are taken for granted at times.I lost my new born son on 8/11/08 .And a very good friend of mine was killed in Iraq a few years ago.I feel for you loss .Someday we will see them again .Larry W
And stop and think about your live friends...sometimes you don't realize just how valuable the people in your life are to you til they're GONE. I'm still ***ulating some Sherman Tank info for Flatdog (RIP 2008), and waiting for him to call me about my cams he's ****yzing...and the phone ain't gonna ring no more. I've lost a bunch of people over the last few years, and each time it hit me how many visits and conversations I had postponed...got the gr*** mowed, missed what would have been a last visit...
We are always so damn busy... Groceries to get, Supper to make, Bills to pay, sweeping, mowing, tending to the the rentals, maintenance on homes and cars, working for a pay. My mother is 92 this year and in fair health and good mind. I make it a point to visit her at least once every two weeks. I am sure when she's gone it won't be enough. Lost a 21 yr old son 12 years ago. I spent alot of time with him and his siblings. He helped me build my first car project. When they are gone, the time spent is never enough......... Sorry for this long post. I posted this before I hope you don't mind but I think its a good tribute to all those we love... A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him. Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old news reel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. "Jack, did you hear me?" "Oh sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said. "Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him. "I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said. "You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said. "He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said. As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had p***ed away. The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly. "What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked. "The box is gone," he said. "What box?" Mom asked. "There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most, '" Jack said. It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it. "Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom." It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. "Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser." "The thing he valued most...was...my time." Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his ***istant asked. "I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"
It's to bad it takes news of this sort that we take stock and realize how short life really is, then human nature being what it is tomorrow get caught up in the same old race. In recent years I have lost several co-workers, one who was a major influence to me. Stay strong
The Jalopy Journal
