Now that was a fight!

Ode to Tim

I am writing this to an acquaintance from school back in Michigan. We weren’t friends, we played on the soccer team together and I remember keeping an eye on him because he was a hothead and I saw him give a serious beat-down of a bully who used to terrorize me from the third grade. My mother who was a teacher used to talk about him and how creative and smart he was. I noticed Tim on Facebook and I sent him a message giving him my number and asked him to call me. We talked and he let me know that he has been fighting cancer for over 13 years. I noticed today that he posted on Facebook that he will be under hospice care. I have mixed feelings about Tim’s situation. There have been times since my divorce where I have asked God to take my soul to a place without the strife and burdens that weight me down but the thought of leaving before getting to know someone better or before I knew my boys had their lives on track and traction moving forward in their lives pulled me back and gave me the gumption to continue. I don’t know how it would be if I were in Tim’s place. I envy his fierce attitude to continue to fight. That is how I will remember him.

Tim, if you are reading this the fact that you have been fighting this cancer for 13+ years and it is amazing how you are still willing to fight if it would give you more time. That kind of endurance and tenacity is remarkable. It is not like you lost the fight, if this were in the boxing ring you would have gotten off the matt more times and lasted more rounds than Rocky. This life is just training for eternity and you’re ready for eternity.

Good bye.