Loss

As a young boy my father looked at me and passed on a bit of wisdom; if in the end you've had five friends in your life you can consider yourself lucky.  Sage advice from a man who fully understood that his son was a deeply private person, one who would forever place the ultimate value and trust on those few individuals that he chose to let in close.

I lost one of those friends yesterday morning, and I am saddened beyond all words and expressions.  Of course I've known loss in my life, but nothing remotely to the extent of this.  At the news I sat for a very long time feeling the tears pour freely down my face onto my shirt.  The loss is complete and totally unexpected, so much so that I expect to carry this emptiness with me for the remainder of my days.