No real changes in my life lately. The biggest change has been Leo, our now 6 month old Black Lab. He’s a great dog and a good friend for me, my wife, and kids.
Tonight, we went to the Cincinnati Bell WEBN fireworks. This was the 33rd year (I think) and it started as a Birthday Party for the local Rock Station (WEBN). The title of this post hit me when they did the standard screaming contest between the Ohio and Kentucky sides of the River. Every year that I can remember Eddie Fingers did the MC job for the fireworks. Every year except this one. It appears that Eddie no longer works for WEBN (obviously news to me). It’s just not the same without Eddie.
This year has had a lot of changes for me, my family, and my friends. Probably the biggest change is that my sister in law is now battling ovarian cancer. She’s doing well, but not perfect. My brother opened his long awaited restaurant Virgil’s (my father’s middle name). It’s doing great, in fact you may have heard of it.
But the change that really hit me tonight is how people can change. Last year at the fireworks, it was a very tense situation. Two of my friends were just starting a divorce. I was caught in the middle and trying to help them work it out. It was that night that I finally figured out that there was no way in hell it was going remain intact. Lately I’ve seen here a fair amount. She’s very happy now, like my old friend was when I first met her.
Tonight, he came to the fireworks with us again. My god the difference. He’s happy, laid back, and fun again. A completely different person, and again, like my old friend. I thought the divorce would destory the two of them, and it did. But it’s built them back up into better people than they were before.
I’ve been thinking about another old friend of mine. One I haven’t seen in many years. I didn’t treat this person very well when I last saw them. I was in a very bad place then and was really having a difficult time finding a reason to live. You see, it was just a couple of years after my sister died (of CF in case you’re wondering). I was a mess, a real disaster. I’ve thought of my friend over the years, and hoped that I could find them to just tell them I’m sorry for the way I treated them.
Well, I recently stumbled onto a way to contact them. I haven’t. There are too many complications that keep me from doing that. So, I guess this is my apology. If you happen to ever read this (and you know who you are), please accept this as my apology. I’ve changed completely from the person you knew and become the person I’ve always known was hidden by the pressures of CF. I’ve become a husband, a father, a good friend to a small group of people, and (hopefully) an inspiration to a group of chronically ill CF patients in the world.
