One Year, One Tear

One year has gone since Wes, my beloved Brother of a Different Mother, passed home. It is terribly difficult to grab on to the fact that I have not hugged him in that long. He wanders around my heart & through my thoughts every single day, as if I just got back from hanging out with him in East Texas, digging up mischief & causing those Exasperated Eye Rolls we both loved. I can still hear his voice & see his face clearly. I thank God that he gave him to us to love, and that He ended his suffering.
We lost a treasured friend last November. Nick was the first person to accept us & befriend me when we moved here 20 years ago. He remained a tried & true friend to all my family until we lost touch with him a couple of years ago. Whenever we speak of Nick, it is with deep love, respect, & admiration at the kind of man whe was. He touched many people over the years, & even his few detractors had to admit he was one heck of a man. I had seen him in the depths of sorrow at the loss of his mother, joyfully doing his best James Brown shuffle, touching my wife's shoulder with the greatest of loving touches, & standing tall in a courtroom after being insulted by a shoplifter who did not know his character.
It is startling to realize the impact cancer has had on my life. These are the loved ones it has taken from me:
Sandra Hashim (bio-sister)
Wes Willis
Nick McDonald
Nick Flanjack (Cousin)
John Hritz (Stepfather)
I am sure that I missed some, & that the list will grow. My belove wife has survived it twice. My cubicle neighbor is a survivor as well. My son was horrendously misdiagnosed with leukemia as a small child. Cancer: it's like an evil mist that swirls around our lives. We cannot help but breathe in its' vapors: we can only pray that we breathe them out as well.