I’ve had a lot of very good friends in my life . Some have been what you would say best friends . When my first wife died I had a fried that I worked with that I had went to Tech School with . He stuck with me like glue . The first night after my wife died he and his wife had me stay with them and they gave up their bed just for me and they slept on the living room floor . I tried to talk them out of it but they wouldn’t have any other way . The next morning was a Saturday and we all went out to eat at a Pizza Hut and he footed the bill . He did the driving . He wouldn’t let me do anything until the following Monday . Then he was always checking on me . That went on for several months until I finally moved away .

But recently in the fall of 2005 we had a couple move into our area thanks to Hurricane Katrina . The United States Government moved them to the Metro East Illinois side of St Louis Missouri across the Mississippi River where I live. They had lived in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans . They had always wanted to get out of the Ninth Ward they just didn’t know it was going to be with a hurricane . They came to our church one Sunday morning and was introduced and we all welcomed . It wasn’t long they were one of our congregation . We became friends and along about Thanksgiving my wife invited them over to our home for Thanksgiving Dinner . We didn’t really have anyone coming over anyway . They came over with their three year old grandson and the wife brought her Louisiana Version of stuffing . It was Corn Bread Stuffing with crab meat; shrimp ; and Cajun Sausage in it . ( I love to eat ) After a few bites of it I decided that I didn’t need any turkey . It was heavenly good .  Now every year they come over for Thanksgiving and it is a standing order . She has to bring some of her stuffing.

But what makes him so very special to me. When my 35 year old son was in ICU for over a week with liver failure he was there for me helping through all of it . And when I called him up from my cel phone at 5 AM and told him that I was on the way to the hospital because they had called and said we had better get down their if we wanted to see him again . He was down at the hospital about five minutes after I was holding me up in prayer and physically holding me up . If we needed anything he would jump. There is no racial boundaries to our friendship and I love him like a brother . And I know he feels the same way about me .