We'll Miss You, Old Friend

A long-awaited call came Sunday night - the caller had been off the grid for a while, but her message came as a surprise.

Our old friend Tim had died earlier that day after a few bouts in the hospital.

It didn't take long for memories to come rushing back in droves. For a long time, I ran with a group of friends a little older than myself. They were and still are a good bunch and always up for a party.

Tim's house in Worthington was the hub of activity. Rarely did a Memorial or Labor Day pass without the grill and other things firing up. There were Oscar parties, Halloween parties, New Year's Eve, and a memorable Thanksgiving in August when the power went out.

Hell, name a reason to celebrate - sometimes we didn't even need that - and people assembled at Tim's.

When you uproot from a place, it's easy to forget all the little things that served as the bedrock of your old life. I couldn't tell how many times I rode my bike past Tim's house or stopped when I saw the front door open. In more recent years, I often saw him walking Jethro in the park.

Having not seen him since I left, I continued to send Christmas cards every year. In the last one, I promised to get in touch when I came back to Columbus; for whatever reason, I didn't.

Even though he will be missed, I just hope that Tim found rest.

I hope that when he went, he knew that the ghosts from all those parties would always inhabit that friendly house on Clearview.