My Best Friend Is 40 Years Older

I was thinking of my best friend today and he is over 89 years old. He is a feisty young man and has taught me more lessons in life than anyone around. I met this man on North Padre Island, Texas about 8 years ago and we became instant best friends. He use to work in the early 1950s for Ford and I had an old Ford Mustang at the time and he just loved the hot rod. His face would light up when I would come to his apartment to see him daily. His name is Harry and I never really thought about how old he is and it never mattered. He is a gentle man with strong biblical ideas from reading thick religious books he had all over his apartment. He is a clean man and respectful one, getting up early to see the seagulls flying up in the sky was a highlight that I have captured on film. Harry never judged me for who I was. A true friend I have, and I was age 40 at the time we met. Honestly, I can say in forty years of my life no one has made such an influence on my life as this man has to my life on this earth. I had the usual male friends that would either use me for cash or would die from drug overdoses. This situation I have with Harry is about love for each other and respect for one another. We call ourselves brothers in Christ, and we are.

Harry lives in Kerrville, Texas as of this writing and unfortunately I do not get to see him very much at all. I see him about twice a year; he is 89 as of this writing in 2013. He never complains about all the hospital visits he had to take since he was a child. Harry does have a small piece of paper he carries in his wallet that includes all his surgeries and medications he has taken. A very intelligent soul he is and I expect him to live very long, yet if he were to leave today, I would be ok with God’s decision. That sounds kind of harsh maybe. The truth is, he has suffered for so long with cancer and the death of loved ones that I can see now at my age where death is not so bad for some people. He will not go before god has had his turn with Harry. I could write a book of accomplishments this one man has done since his childhood. I have tried to write a book about our lives and how we came to be. Maybe there are some things that are better kept to us. I just can’t seem to get it all together what Harry and I accomplished in the six years I lived close by him on the Island in Corpus Christi, Texas.

When we lived on North Padre Island, Texas we were watching out for each other like friends do. A real friend will watch your back and tell you if any harm is coming your way. Harry did this for me. I was a bit wild and hung around a few characters that were dangerous to my health. Harry would be in his car at times checking on me to make sure I made it home ok. He would show up out of nowhere when he knew I was doing wrong and make sure I was ok. Usually I would have been mad, yet with this man, he just came and went. In other words he never scolded me or said lets go and get out of here. He would just show his face and I would see his concern. That was enough for me to leave or change what I was doing at the moment. I wish I could be a friend like Harry was for me. Someday God will put a young man in my hands to guide like Harry did for me and I welcome this anytime. Its like that movie called ,”Pass It On”, I believe Harry would like for me to do this.

Harry may be about 40 years older than I am, but friendship has no age barrier. I would sit with him out on his balcony and we would discuss the world and politics. The birds and the ocean in front of us was quite calming. His apartment overlooked the breaking surf and sand of the ocean. Harry would always tell me about certain biblical stories and relate them to the times we live in now. I was so interested in what he had to say I started to go to a progressive church that he attended every weekend. No regular church for this guy, we attended Bay Area Fellowship in Corpus Christi, Texas. This church was like an arena and brand new. I had my reservations about it, yet if it was good enough for Harry it was good enough for me. I am thinking of the smile he would look at me when I would show up to church in my suit and most wore swimsuits and such. He was proud of me and still is. I have come a long way from where I used to be. I was not a bad man, just did some things that were not good for your body and drinking and smoking were part of it. Harry never complained of my drinking or smoking, and he did not get me to quit. I just ended up quitting all the bad things I was pouring into my system and started believing in God and saying prayers like Harry suggested. I am sober and with no slips to this very day. I have a strong conviction to staying this way and I have to say, by prayers from Harry I am sober and safe today. This is no small feat in life, yet so large of one that when I did sober up. I slowed down and saw his eyes glowing with love for me and I am sure this has an effect on me now. I had to pause a second and noticed I had a smile on my face while writing this article. The problem with this world is we do not have enough Harry’s helping out those that need it, like I had. I am special and very blessed to have had such a friend and I will always have him.

The problem with age and having a friend that is older is communication can be difficult. I live 300 miles away from Harry now and just recently saw him in a rehab. He had a wreck in his new pickup and he was worried more about the truck than himself. He hit some trees and rocks on his family’s ranch. I don’t know the whole story but he looked pretty good for having rolled his truck and at his age. He smiled and told the pastor’s mother from Bay Area Fellowship that I was his brother in Christ and to come on in. I felt like I was very important again and in front of a man’s’ mother whose son is a very well-known pastor in the world. Harry did it to me again, made me feel special. This is just him though, and you can feel the touch of this man as you enter his room. It is like fresh air roving about your body and producing a calming effect on a person. There is calmness and a sense of well-being and belonging when you are around this man. If you don’t feel it, there is no love in your heart is how I feel. If this is what it feels like to be talking to God or a little bit of heaven then I welcome this feeling. Pretty dramatic you may think, and it is to experience the effect of Harry and his power that is ever so strong and beautiful.

My friend or brother in Christ is still among the living I believe and keeps miracles happening in others’ lives as he did mine. When I call him I say, “Harry”, he replies, “yes young man. I am doing fine I am upright and irritating!!”, I laugh. When I call and he stops saying these ridiculous things is when the end is drawing near. I have not called in a while and I wish to see Harry to talk to him, yet he is surrounded by his family at all times. This makes it hard for us to be ourselves. He has a great family and they are helping him out with getting him around. Don’t get me wrong, I never thought he needed any help nor did he, but after such a tragedy of an accident he may be not getting around so fast like he was. His memory is just as sharp as it ever was. This article does not do my friend justice and it tells of a friend of mine that you will never meet. There are other Harry’s out there if you open your heart and your mind. Older humans know they are of age but like myself may not really feel it. If you get the chance to make your life better as I have then you’re being watched from God and loved. Is that not what we all strive for anyway is to be loved and have friends that love us unconditionally. Harry is that man in my life and I will share, but never cross us. God bless Harry and all the other good men and women out there that help out the youth. 3.22.2013