It's never too soon to remember the best of a friend. When my true friend Denny died in November, three of us conducted the funeral. Joe and Paul each gave wonderful eulogies. I, being me, told stories for 20 minutes that had everyone laughing. The loss of a friend is painful to us, but when we celebrate their life, the tears often accompany a smile.

Denny knew this. He was the most responsible man I ever knew and had indeed planned the entire funeral in advance. He even wrote us Thank You notes for doing the service which we received afterwards. To me he wrote:

"The times we had were great and I hope you didn't tell too many of them! Really Pat, I'm only sorry I wasn't there in the flesh to enjoy a rehash of our sillier antics."

When I read that part of his letter, I knew I had done the right thing, and also why I was the last to speak. From your stories Rick, I feel that I missed a great guy.

catspaw