In a previous blog I discussed losing friends. We gain and lose friends all through our lives.
Some of them are more than just friends....
I was 16, and had a dear friend who was a big, strong football player with a gentle spirit. As a hobby he practiced with a whip, knocking cans off the fence etc. One day some friends and I went swimming. My friends left early. I remained alone in the water for a short while. A group of boys (4 or 5) came to the pier. I knew one of them. I got out of the water and grabbed my towel and was drying off when he grabbed me and pushed me down onto a picnic table. The others were laughing and shouting. I don't remember much more except that I threw him off of me and ran...and ran blindly, until I realized I was in my friend's yard. He was there practicing with the whip. I recounted the incident through my tears. He said, " go straight home - I'll take care of it".
He must have because, in a few days when we all met at the soda shoppe, he was there with the boy who jumped me. They walked over to me. My friend told the boy "go ahead". The boy apologized and said he would "never come near me again". I thought I saw a mark on his arm that looked like the lash from a whip.
My friend died in a hospital that summer from swelling in his brain. He took a spike to the head, practicing football. I did see him one last time. He didn't see me or talk with me, but I believe he knew I was there.
I also believe he was more than a friend - he was an angel. I will always hold him in my heart.
Two things I learned from that experience:
1) Be grateful for your friends.
2) Never remain alone in a situation where there could be danger. Don't take the chance.
I was lucky.
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