I Lost A Friend

David Stanley Lost a Friend

David Stanley

I Lost a Friend is a guest post by David Stanley. David is a fellow dad blogger whose work I greatly enjoy for its wisdom and distinct voice. He blogs at DadsRoundtable and on his personal blog Rants & Mutters.

He blogs on the oddities and banalities of life, lifecycle events, Judaism, sports (usually bicycle racing and soccer and golf; unless something grabs my attention), kids and education and cancer. Usually. Unless something grabs my attention.

As someone who finds nearly everything interesting, it’s no surprise, David is involved in a wide variety of things. He is a musician, teacher & science geek.  He’s a serious bike racer. He’s also a cancer survivor. He’s also a voice-over actor at My Voice-over Masters.com and a freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter, @dstan58

A friend of mine died Wednesday evening. He was diagnosed with an inoperable glioblastoma nearly one year ago. He leaves behind two adult children from his first marriage; a son and daughter, and twin adult stepdaughters from his second marriage to one of my wife’s closest friends.

Sad, indeed, yet, most of us have a similar story somewhere in our lives. This is not a story of grief. It is the story of friendship. Until my friend’s last few months of life, we were not friends.

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The Best Friend a Guy Could Have

Two friends at Legoland Discovery Center

BR & I. at LEGOLAND Discovery Center celebrating BR’s 9th Birthday

What is friendship?

Does the meaning of friendship change with each relationship?

Does what one require from friendship change with age?

Last week BR had a play date with his best friend, I. BR and I. met in kindergarten and their friendship formed quickly. Just a few months into that year, BR informed me that I. was “the best friend a guy could have.”

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I Could Be Friends With An Alien

Courtesy of Flickr.com

Courtesy of Flickr.com

In the summer of 1982, Ms. L. took me and a bunch of the children on my block to the movies. Ms. L. was the mother of one of my best friends, David.

We sat in a packed theater in the middle of the day in our section of Northeast Philadelphia.

At one point during the movie, I noticed many people crying including Ms. L. “Are you kidding me?” I thought to myself.

While I was not moved as much as my friend’s mother, I also loved the movie. I knew when I walked out of the theatre that I had seen a movie that was special.

Tonight, I showed that movie to my children. Guess the movie. Continue reading