Old Friends ... and new ....

[libby]

Happy Birthday, Doug! I miss you.

He was an old friend dating back to high school days, and he passed away two years ago. Had a heart attack. Although he lived in Florida and I live in Northern VA, we kept in touch after meeting again at a class reunion. He was by then a Marine colonel and we found we had probably crossed paths in our jobs and lived just a few miles apart at one time. He was so good-looking and popular, as well as being smart and athletic, but his story was a sad one because his wife, whom he dearly loved, was mentally ill.

He told me he was not afraid to die, that he'd already done it once.  Said he had a heart attack while on active duty, and found himself floating up and away to a place where he was very happy. Said he was teaching. But then the doctors brought him back.