Two Less Joes

I absolutely cannot believe what I'm about to blog. My heart is breaking right now...again.

One of my longest friends (I hate saying "oldest" friends) lost her father today. Are you kidding me? I just lost mine. Really? 6 months, 12 hours, and 1 minute apart?

This is my friend Jeanette's Dad. Jeanette and I met when I was a sophomore and she was a freshman in high school. I have known her ever since. We are talking close to 31 years here, folks. THIRTY ONE YEARS.

My Pop was 10 years older than her Dad but her and I are only 3 months apart in age. So we had our Dads in our lives for almost the exact same amount of time. My Pop passed away March 24th at 1:44am, hers September 25th at 1:45pm.

Life. You just never know. Her parents took me out to dinner the day I planned my Pop's funeral. Not Jeanette and me. Just me. Just me and her folks. That's how we were. I've been a part of her family for 31 years. And her Dad was fine that night. And 6 months later, gone. Unreal.

The world is without 2 Joes tonight. Two wonderful men who made this world better. Two men who were honest, hard working, family men who did what was right even when it wasn't easy. They made this world a better place and we are all better off because of it. And I am a much better person for having known them.

The world needs more Joes. Unfortunately, it seems they are a dying breed...