A friend passes on....

This past Friday December 30th I was cleaning out some things in my desk at work before the New Year's holiday, vowing to come back to a somewhat organized work area to start 2006. While sifting through some things, I came across a business card of a former collegue from my days as a banker. On the back, he wrote the name and phone number of another collegue JP, who had moved into the Bethesda area after retiring. I looked at JP's name and number and made a vow to call him in the new year and possibly get together for lunch since he lived in Bethesda and I worked there.

Fast forward to Monday January 2 and I'm hanging out with my son Benjamin, reading something in the Post Metro section and while flipping through the obituaries to resume the article I was reading, all of the sudden I see JP's name. Holy cow! He had passed away at age 73 on that Friday when I was thinking about him! I was stunned and in shock. It had been awhile since I had spoken with JP and my instinct had always been to call and see how he was doing. Sadly, I was always "too busy", either at work or at home. I'm bummed I didn't follow up and now I'll never have that chance again.

I showed JP's obituary to Weena and I told her how I was thinking about him on the day he passed away and how coincidental this was. Weena told me it was JP's way of communicating with me to let me know to pray for him.

I'll tell you a little bit about him. I started work at Capital Bank near Farragut Square in Washington DC, Fall 1989. He was the bank's real estate lender and someone I was drawn to instantly because he reminded me so much of my Grandfather, who had passed away two years prior. Both gentlemen shared a love for baseball and just listening to JP's stories was like being around my Grandfather all over again. We became friends over time and would talk endlessly about the Orioles, Redskins, Terps and all the other local sports teams. He and his son sat in the same section and row at RFK Stadium for Redskins games as a couple of my friends. Every time I'd go to a Redskins game from '89-'96 I would make it a point to meet up at the game and talk sports with JP, his son and my friends. Looking back at those times and the time I worked with JP, I can honestly say he was one of the nicest and classiest persons I've ever met.

So those out there reading this, if there is a friend out there that you have lost touch with and have not spoken to in a long time, pick up the phone and call. It won't take long to say hey and you'll feel better for doing so. I wish I had done so with JP.