Life has a way of throwing you curveballs. Sometimes when you think.. I’ve had enough and I can’t take any more of this. You get just one more. And sometimes that one more catipults you back into the beauty of living.

Last night I received the sad news that yet another good friend had passed away this last week. As I sat there stunned, tears rolling down my cheeks, memories flooding my head, thinking of Dale. I had to smile. You see… Dale knew how to really live. He lived from the moment he woke up in the morning until he passed out at night. With Dale, there was always something going on. He loved his wife, his kitty’s, his friends, the city where he lived, his causes. Dale LOVED!! It’s the best way I know how to describe him. He went through some awful times. Hard times. Painful times. But it never kept him down.

Every single time I saw Dale he would say “Tell me a story” or “Anything you need to tell me?”  and he listened. He could hear what you didn’t say. Dale made me laugh and he made me smile, always. He had more stories in him than the local barber shop or cafe put together. He was there to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. He didn’t care if he knew you or not.

Dale made a difference.  Dale was loved and he will be missed by all of us.

People come and go in our lives every day. Some we will remember because of the impact that they made on us. How we felt when they were with us. Or.. how they made us want to be in life. Those special people who bring out the best part of us. That make us strive to make a difference ourselves.

That is what I want to surround myself with and what I want to remember about those friends who have passed on. The angels that God blessed my life with for a short time. They made memories within in me that can grow into actions. Actions that can make a difference in my life and to someone else. I can surround myself with like-minded people who want to make a difference  too. Just imagine a world were we all want to help each other. Just imagine.