not what i had intended to write about...

I have another blog in the works, but...

rough day coming up tomorrow... I will be attending a memorial service for a friend from college, Mark Brewer. We jokingly called each other the ER buddies, cuz one of us was always in there but never at the same time.
(in the pic, he is on the far right.)

Mark was born with heart problems (to put it in simple terms.) He was not supposed to live past the age of 9, so dying at 40 is really a triumph! But to me, it is very bitter-sweet. I selfishly want my pal back here, joking around with me... pulling me out of my funk with his off-the-wall comments!

I know that he knows god and is now jumping around in a new, pain-free body, waiting to party with me in heaven. It's a nice thought... but it doesn't really fill the skinny, pierced, wild-child shaped hole in my life right now.

He leaves behind an ex-wife, who still loves him and cared for him deeply, and three kids, who love their dad like crazy. He also leaves behind all the pain and worry and pills etc.... and he is at peace. I pray that those of us who loved him also find peace... and the spirit of comfort.
-jay-

ps... I don't know all the details, but...

please pray for my friend, Pat, otherwise known at West Hills Friends Church as "the gum lady." She is recovering from surgery for colon cancer. It must have happened very quickly, because I just found out about it today. She is the pastor's mother-in-law, and one of the few elder (but not that old!) Christian women I know, whom I would want to emulate and has inspired me to be a better person. I admire her grace and generosity... and i hope to have her around for many more years! So please pray, and also remember her family in your prayers. They are all very close.