My young friends funeral service was held yesterday at the Evangelical Covenant Church here in Fort Collins.Today he was buried in Flagler, CO...a small community out east in the plains, a community sooooo small there isn't even a stop light. There is where the family plot is and now that's where he is.
Fridays @ 5:30pm we have an AA meeting at my friend Jack's house.
Jack has quite a story in that he had a liver transplant back in '96 I think and in '98 he contracted West Nile. Twixt the transplant and the West Nile, where he was in a coma for several months, he has a taste of "almost dying" a couple of times.
During my Cancer journey, the DNR got pulled out twice. I only barely remember one of those instances but in the past few days I've had cause to reflect back and ponder those two times.
I really put some people who were/are pretty close to me through a living hell. One of them, who has my Medical Power of Attorney calls my "episode" in Poudre Valley Hospital as the worst week of his life.
Anywho, back to Jack...I got to his house a little early and we got to talk one-on-one for a while and mutually reflect on how he and I have deep appreciation for life...not just ours, but the lives of others, too.
Sadly, too many people just take life for granted...that doesn't make them all bad, it's just that they have not had any personal near death experiences or been close to someone who has either had a near death experience or who has died.
Life is precious, not only mine but yours, too.
Coming up on Aug. 25th is the 1 year anniversary of my Stem Cell Transplant and one of those people closest too me, my Friend Doug is having a party to celebrate that occasion and is inviting "Team Pete" and some others who played a loving roll in basically keeping me alive.
I'm thinking it'll almost be like a "wake"!
If you are reading this, I will know that you will be there in Spirit and I sooooooo appreciate and love you for your participation in my life.
Thank you.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Soooooooooooo...
...I got way from blogging...again.
Dang.
Anywho, It's been a wile and my brother guilt tripped me this afternoon into blogging again....thanks, Kevin!
So, I've been out for a coupla+ weeks now and it feels wonderful, although I'm not feeling wonderful at the moment.
More 'bout that later.
My hair has grown back slowly, but It's been probably close to three months ago I had a hairct and I'm not quite ready for another one yet.
I weighed in this morning at 164.5 and I haven't done the subtraction, but I was 238 when I checked into the Universty of Colorado Hospital last year.
I'm real close to going to the Miramont health Club and taking advantage of the membership that my insurance company will pay for.
I really got to enjoy the Physical and Occupational Therapy when I was in the rehab and I really have no excuse for not going and exercising that free membership. I'm hoping I can find a trainer who will work with me much like the therapists in rehab did.
I went to the Salws Meeting at RE/MAX te other day and really enjoyed it. I'm really trying to take it easy and gradually eas back into te "workplace".
I really need to build up my stamina and energy (Hence the Health Club?!?) because I really don't want to find myself back in the hospital.
I would "blog on", but like I said, I'm not really feeling wondeful right now.
It's no secret that I'm a card carrying member of Alcoholics Anonymous, and an active member at that. One of the things we do in AA is "sponsor" people, that is mentor them and take them through the 12 Steps.
About 3 months ago, a new guy walked into my Home Group, the But For The Grace group, and as the Universe would have it he was a member of the Health Community and was actually a Medical Assistant at one of the clinics that I go to.
He was having a difficult time staying sober, but was making great spiritual progress at the same time. We were meeting a couple of times a week other than going to a few meetings together and he took a hankerin' to both the First Church of the Second Chance and the Evangelical Covenant Church.
He was 28 years old.
Was?
He died yesterday.
Last Wednesday the Dark Side grabbed him and wouldn't let go and he drank.
It was obvious that he had been drinking when I went to pick him up for the FCSC (First Church of the Second Chance) but we went anyway and afterwards came to the mutual conclusion that he should go over to Greeley and spend a few days with his mother to detox and sober up.
She came over and picked him up, but he was able to conceal that he had been drinking from her.
I did not know that Thursday she was going down to Parker for a few days.
He and I exchanged phone calls and text messages and, in spite of he DT's and hallucinations he seemed to be doing well.
Last night I got a call from his mother telling me that he had died.
We talked at length and I went over to Greeley this mornng. His two aunts, his mother's and her male friend from Parker were there.
Long story short...the autopsy performed this morning was inconclusive. The Coroner sent away what he had to send away for toxicology reports. He said that from what he could tell there had been no foul play and there was, to bthe best of his knowledge no drugs or alcohol in his system.
His mother lives across the street from an elementary school and neighbors said that mid-afternoon Saturday they had seen him over at the school saluting an empty flagpole, but then lost sight of him.
About an hour later someone ran across his body in the schoolyard and called the police who then tracked down his mother and called her in Parker.
There are a couple of more odd details, but they aren't pertinent to this blog.
Thanks for listening and I need to go try and get some sleep.
I didn't get much last night and in the morning I need to make some rounds telling some people and institutions of his passing rather than have his mother come over and do that which would be at best an unplesant task for her.
Dang.
Anywho, It's been a wile and my brother guilt tripped me this afternoon into blogging again....thanks, Kevin!
So, I've been out for a coupla+ weeks now and it feels wonderful, although I'm not feeling wonderful at the moment.
More 'bout that later.
My hair has grown back slowly, but It's been probably close to three months ago I had a hairct and I'm not quite ready for another one yet.
I weighed in this morning at 164.5 and I haven't done the subtraction, but I was 238 when I checked into the Universty of Colorado Hospital last year.
I'm real close to going to the Miramont health Club and taking advantage of the membership that my insurance company will pay for.
I really got to enjoy the Physical and Occupational Therapy when I was in the rehab and I really have no excuse for not going and exercising that free membership. I'm hoping I can find a trainer who will work with me much like the therapists in rehab did.
I went to the Salws Meeting at RE/MAX te other day and really enjoyed it. I'm really trying to take it easy and gradually eas back into te "workplace".
I really need to build up my stamina and energy (Hence the Health Club?!?) because I really don't want to find myself back in the hospital.
I would "blog on", but like I said, I'm not really feeling wondeful right now.
It's no secret that I'm a card carrying member of Alcoholics Anonymous, and an active member at that. One of the things we do in AA is "sponsor" people, that is mentor them and take them through the 12 Steps.
About 3 months ago, a new guy walked into my Home Group, the But For The Grace group, and as the Universe would have it he was a member of the Health Community and was actually a Medical Assistant at one of the clinics that I go to.
He was having a difficult time staying sober, but was making great spiritual progress at the same time. We were meeting a couple of times a week other than going to a few meetings together and he took a hankerin' to both the First Church of the Second Chance and the Evangelical Covenant Church.
He was 28 years old.
Was?
He died yesterday.
Last Wednesday the Dark Side grabbed him and wouldn't let go and he drank.
It was obvious that he had been drinking when I went to pick him up for the FCSC (First Church of the Second Chance) but we went anyway and afterwards came to the mutual conclusion that he should go over to Greeley and spend a few days with his mother to detox and sober up.
She came over and picked him up, but he was able to conceal that he had been drinking from her.
I did not know that Thursday she was going down to Parker for a few days.
He and I exchanged phone calls and text messages and, in spite of he DT's and hallucinations he seemed to be doing well.
Last night I got a call from his mother telling me that he had died.
We talked at length and I went over to Greeley this mornng. His two aunts, his mother's and her male friend from Parker were there.
Long story short...the autopsy performed this morning was inconclusive. The Coroner sent away what he had to send away for toxicology reports. He said that from what he could tell there had been no foul play and there was, to bthe best of his knowledge no drugs or alcohol in his system.
His mother lives across the street from an elementary school and neighbors said that mid-afternoon Saturday they had seen him over at the school saluting an empty flagpole, but then lost sight of him.
About an hour later someone ran across his body in the schoolyard and called the police who then tracked down his mother and called her in Parker.
There are a couple of more odd details, but they aren't pertinent to this blog.
Thanks for listening and I need to go try and get some sleep.
I didn't get much last night and in the morning I need to make some rounds telling some people and institutions of his passing rather than have his mother come over and do that which would be at best an unplesant task for her.
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