The passing of a friend

Tuesday Treadmill Treats

The passing of a friend

It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog today. I have lost a dear friend this weekend and I am still in shock.

God called home my dear friend Joseph Gilmore aka Joey Rodriguez as we knew him back in the day.

He was younger than me and was healthy, he had overcome so many obstacles in the last few years, so this comes as such a shock to all of us.

He was rebuilding his life and was happy with the direction it was taking him to and just like that... he is gone...

I remember the first day I met him, he was new to our school and he was so cute, looking lost at where to sit for lunch in this new school.

I always had a soft spot for new kids even though I was in the same school since kindergarten.
I couldn't imagine being the new kid and not knowing anyone, having to start over again. So I would invite all the new kids to our lunch table, I would introduced them to everyone and help them get the lay of the land.

My friends would laugh at me saying I was always taking in strays but I did it anyway and he was no different. He was shocked that I would be so friendly and immediately we formed a bond.

He was a regular at our lunch table and we became fast friends. I would watch him practice karate after school, he would walk me home and we would talk for hours. He was sweet and shy and had the biggest heart. He had a rough life and yet he was still so kind.

We dated for a bit and I didnt realize until he confessed recently that I had been his first kiss...but life got too bad for him at home and he left.

We lost touch for many years and through the years I often thought of him and what happened to him.
Facebook brought us together again when he reached out and found me. It was if all those years never existed, we called each other every week, giving each other encouragement and plenty of laughs.

He still had a heart of gold and proved that once again when he found out about my plight of having no air conditioning because I lent money to my best friend who I haven't seen since.

Just last week I got a beautiful card with money in to help out towards my air.
When I opened it, I cried, even my closest friends had not offered anything to me, yet here was this man that I had lost touched with, reaching out with his big heart to help me.

That was who Joey was,
he took his mom shopping every week, he helped a friend out in need, he remember your kindness even if it was 30 years ago.
He had a big heart and a kind soul and I will so miss him.

I will miss his crazy songs he posted on my wall, his encouraging words, his laugh, our weekly talks and his way he looked at life even after all he had been through.

I think about so many of my friends and family that I have lost in my life and it overwhelms me. I wonder why God  would call home such wonderful people in the prime of their lives, but he has a plan.... I am just glad I got to have him in my life, even for a while.

Joey, I know your looking down with some of our best friends, Bobby and David Smythe and you will be keeping an eye out for me and for those you loved...Thank you for your friendship...I will miss you, my friend....

"Be the change you want to see"
 
" And just when the caterpillar thought his life was over...he turned into a beautiful butterfly"

***Now available***
My new book The blessing in Disguise
Selling on tmy website:

Www.treadmilltreats.com

And on Amazon.com

http://www.am6azon.com/gp/aw/d/0692437398/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?qid=1434452632&sr=8-12&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=the+Blessing+in+Disguise

My weekly Youtube page, please subscribe:
https://youtu.be/LDSXCFJVnzM

Twitter: treadmill treats
Instragram: treadmilltreats
Facebook :treadmill treats