Bittersweet Weekend

I'm spending the weekend in Houston. I escaped from this hellhole ten years ago, and haven't been back since (except to change planes at the airport, which doesn't count).

I'm here to see two people who are very close to me, and who are dying.

One is the father of a close friend of mine. Years ago we all spent a lot of time together, most of it hunting and fishing. His father is about the same age as my father - 90+ - and shared many of the same experiences growing up in the Depression and fighting in WW II.

Recently Cali was diagnosed with amyloidosis. It's a blood disease that produces too much protein, which coats the organs of the body and eventually causes them to fail. He's gone downhill pretty fast, as his kidney function is failing, with a resultant effect on his heart. The short term treatment is dialysis to handle the fluid build-up. If that works then the doctors will address the other problems.

The second person I'm here to visit is someone who is the closest thing to a mentor I ever had. He hired me once I finally graduated from college (it took me ten years from start to finish, but there were a lot of things that happened in that decade, including military service, one marriage, and 'finding myself' - but that's a story for another time).

Anyway, Bob recognized a gem in the rough, hired me, groomed me, and dragged me kicking and screaming from Austin to Houston to take my place in the corporate headquarters of an international financial holding company. It was a very beneficial professional move for me, but it had some interesting personal implications (the law of unintended consequnces - again, a story for another time).

Bob was diagnosed a few years ago with brain cancer. He underwent chemo and radiation therapy, which put it into remission for a while. Sadly, it has reoccurred and seeded nodules into his lungs. He is now down to 108 pounds, and breathes with the help of an oxygen tank. However, he has maintained his love of golf and sense of humor. We are having a golf outing tomorrow in his honor. He'll be there, driving around in a golf cart with his oxygen tank observing what he calls the "pre-funeral festivities."

I'm glad to be here this weekend to spend time with both these fine men. I was blessed to have them in my life. The country was blessed to have them as well. I hope and pray that those of us coming up behind them can maintain the high standards they have set.

I'm not very good at expressing myself, but I spent time this afternoon with Bob's friends and family, and went out tonight with Cali's son and daughter-in-law. We laughed, we cried, we hugged, and we're going to do it all over again tomorrow.

It's going to be a long drive home...