Most
of us know a lot of people. Within that gang of faces stands a smaller group.
We call members of this smaller group “friends”. Then there is a handful –
literally you can count them on one hand – that is much harder to
classify. I guess you could call them
“best friends,” but that description may not fit easily.
One
of my own handful of these special people passed on earlier this morning. He was a military man, a sailor to be
precise, so we would clock his departure time at 0830hrs. My personal challenge
is not to look at those who remain in the larger friends group and pick a
replacement. That's just not the way it works. No one could ever replace
Sweeney. So how does one go about picking a man or woman for the small handful?
Simply put, I don't know. If you have an insight, please do share it with me.
After
fighting through the shock of sudden loss, I thought about this challenge, and
more importantly, what makes us consciously or unconsciously select a
compatible man or a woman to walk by our side? I don't think it is the very
same criteria we use in figuring out who would be our best bet as a spouse. No
way. We are surrounded by couples that
would never in a million years move the odds in a betting parlor. Those of us
who lucked out in the marriage sweepstakes know all too well that cupid and his
damn bow and arrows were consistently outplayed by forces beyond our, and
anyone else's comprehension.
Jack
Sweeney was successful in the business world as well as in the United States
Navy where he went rose in rank from seaman to Rear Admiral. He was the epitome
of God, Love of Country and Family. I
should add that Family was his guiding star right after he married a pretty
tennis-playing girl from Wawa, Pennsylvania, which was pretty much Indian
country in my own day.
Best
friends are best friends. It's that simple. Sweeney can never be duplicated. Nor should he be. Best Friends are unique, different one from
the others. They are selected by the Best Friends Gods who factor in mutual
interests and a huge helping of trust in each other.
You know very well who your own best friends
are. You are lucky to have them. And
they are lucky to have you.
