A Time of Waiting

I don't have a lot of words this week. At the moment everything revolves one reality: My friend Bill is very near death

In the time of our relationship we've done nearly everything together: we've laughed and cried, we've worked and played, we've shared many great conversations and also silence. We've traveled together and we've sat still together. Like most guys, I guess, we've also taken each other for granted a good deal of the time. He has been my friend for almost 40 years.

Bill and his wife Betty have been a big part of the fabric of my life for all those decades. We also share a passion for the Episcopal Church and for one particular parish. We love history and politics and we love good food. We've shared an awful lot for decades.

Now he's dying. It's not a big shock - he is 89, after all and every time I've seen him in the past few years, I've wondered if there would be a next time.

He is 1,000 miles from here, so I'm not with him. But we've had wonderful conversations in these past few days, and we've said goodbye well. I've been very blessed by these 40 years of friendship, and I know I have blessed him as well.

Many of you will have walked this path yourselves, so you'll know why I don't have words today. I need to be quiet and pray. I'll be back when I can.