I learned yesterday that a buddy of mine passed yesterday.

He and I were closest during my teens, and he was known among our circle of friends for his big frame and even bigger heart. He used humor to win friends, and he did so easily. You could always count on him for a silly joke and loyal friendship.

I moved on to college and made a regular habit of living away from home. Even so, he'd keep in contact with me and other friends from our hometown. He'd e-mail us updates on his work at our old church, send me invitations to choir events (even though I lived far away). When I once called him a spammer (mostly in jest), he said: "If I have to be a spammer, I'll be a spammer... fo' da LORD!"

His weight issues contributed to a bunch of health problems and he'd spent the past year in a rehabilitation center, just trying to gather the strength and courage to walk again. He told me in a phone conversation earlier this year that people rarely visited him. They called pretty regularly but rarely saw him.

So, I put seeing him on my short list of priorities, during my vacation home this summer. I wasn't prepared for his condition. It was good, however, to see him again. There's a lot he missed out on because of his health issues. Yet he constantly tried to encourage others.

Do something nice for a loved one or for a complete stranger. Get past your walls and live.

Life is so utterly short.

Thanks for the love, y'all. I appreciate it.

Get past your walls and live.