It is the Christmas Season of 2014 here at Cedar Creek Lake in East Texas. Today, I recall my long gone friends of many years. Wherever you may both be this day, remember this is one of your friends that misses you both terribly.
With the passing of time
I have come to realize that there are truly
spaces that are never filled
by the loss of friends who were very personal
to my mind and heart.
Through the years
do the memories of Cliff and Tom
constantly come to my mind.
Never are they dead in my heart.
I see each of them
special in their concern for me
as the friends they were to me
and yes the love they rendered to me.
Have they been replaced in the void left by their absence?
No one has accomplished that.
Cliff was the short, large man from the deep South
always with a tale of lesson and advice not wanted
but when given
seemed well placed.
He spoke of home and craw-fish
his Mother and his victories in life
never of his losses.
You knew he was special
a special person to know.
The same stories he related never got old
just deeper in meaning.
The straight-laced
IBM type of guy was Tom.
He seemed to have found victories too early in his life
burning, dying as a shooting star.
An anger was present about him that could never be explained.
Tom loved a good meal and good drinks.
Save the waiter or waitress who spoke too much while serving!
He was there to savor the moment
should it be his last.
As Tom’s life was coming to an end
he maintained his pride to the last minute in a VA hospital
wearing a blue blazer that no longer fit;
no one cared about his past.
I miss Tom’s advice to me,
his laughter at my watch
that he thought was such a great sales job
because I had to push a button
to tell time.
His loud laughter rang in the night
raising high his special drink
to wish me and all
the best of life.
I miss both of these men.
They were the special friends of a lifetime
never to be replaced.
They are in my heart each day
with the warmest of love to my dearest friends
Cliff and Tom.
Whenever you both may be
in the great wonder of it all
I am one person
who misses you both
oh……….. ever so much.
Posts Tagged ‘friends’
"Friends of a Lifetime" copyright 2005 John J. Rigo "Rainbows Amidst Storms"
Posted in "Rainbows Amidst Storms" Second Published Book, A Poet and Commentator remembers his departed friends, Friends of a Lifetime by John J. Rigo, Passed away friends are never replaced, Real Friends only come once in a Lifetime, Remembering Lost Friends at Christmas time from a Texas' Poet, tagged A Christmas Poem of Lost Friends, Commentary (magazine), friends, friends of a lifetime, Health, Jesus, missing our departed friends, Philosophy, relationships, remembering our friends, Texas, the meaning of real friends on December 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »
It is the Christmas Season of 2014 here at Cedar Creek Lake in East Texas. Today, I recall my long gone friends of many years. Wherever you may both be this day, remember this is one of your friends that misses you both terribly.
With the passing of time
I have come to realize that there are truly
spaces that are never filled
by the loss of friends who were very personal
to my mind and heart.
Through the years
do the memories of Cliff and Tom
constantly come to my mind.
Never are they dead in my heart.
I see each of them
special in their concern for me
as the friends they were to me
and yes the love they rendered to me.
Have they been replaced in the void left by their absence?
No one has accomplished that.
Cliff was the short, large man from the deep South
always with a tale of lesson and advice not wanted
but when given
seemed well placed.
He spoke of home and craw-fish
his Mother and his victories in life
never of his losses.
You knew he was special
a special person to know.
The same stories he related never got old
just deeper in meaning.
The straight-laced
IBM type of guy was Tom.
He seemed to have found victories too early in his life
burning, dying as a shooting star.
An anger was present about him that could never be explained.
Tom loved a good meal and good drinks.
Save the waiter or waitress who spoke too much while serving!
He was there to savor the moment
should it be his last.
As Tom’s life was coming to an end
he maintained his pride to the last minute in a VA hospital
wearing a blue blazer that no longer fit;
no one cared about his past.
I miss Tom’s advice to me,
his laughter at my watch
that he thought was such a great sales job
because I had to push a button
to tell time.
His loud laughter rang in the night
raising high his special drink
to wish me and all
the best of life.
I miss both of these men.
They were the special friends of a lifetime
never to be replaced.
They are in my heart each day
with the warmest of love to my dearest friends
Cliff and Tom.
Whenever you both may be
in the great wonder of it all
I am one person
who misses you both
oh……….. ever so much.
“Fair Weather Friends” copyright 2012 John J. Rigo, upcoming poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”
Posted in An Insight into "Friendships", Discovering False Friends, I have had a "belly full" of e-mail and text "Friends.", Poems, What Friends Should Not Be, What True Friends Really Are., What WordPress is all About., WordPress a World worth exploring, tagged Arts, friends, friendship, God, Lord, Poetry, Television, Texas, What true friends are on August 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Courtesy of lomography.com
"Friends of a Lifetime" copyright 2005 John J. Rigo "Rainbows Amidst Storms"
Posted in "Rainbows Amidst Storms" Second Published Book, A Poet and Commentator remembers his departed friends, Friends of a Lifetime by John J. Rigo, Passed away friends are never replaced, Real Friends only come once in a Lifetime, tagged Commentary (magazine), friends, friends of a lifetime, Health, Jesus, missing our departed friends, Philosophy, relationships, remembering our friends, Texas, the meaning of real friends on July 19, 2014| 2 Comments »
With the passing of time
I have come to realize that there are truly
spaces that are never filled
by the loss of friends who were very personal
to my mind and heart.
Through the years
do the memories of Cliff and Tom
constantly come to my mind.
Never are they dead in my heart.
I see each of them
special in their concern for me
as the friends they were to me
and yes the love they rendered to me.
Have they been replaced in the void left by their absence?
No one has accomplished that.
Cliff was the short, large man from the deep South
always with a tale of lesson and advice not wanted
but when given
seemed well placed.
He spoke of home and craw-fish
his Mother and his victories in life
never of his losses.
You knew he was special
a special person to know.
The same stories he related never got old
just deeper in meaning.
The straight-laced
IBM type of guy was Tom.
He seemed to have found victories too early in his life
burning, dying as a shooting star.
An anger was present about him that could never be explained.
Tom loved a good meal and good drinks.
Save the waiter or waitress who spoke too much while serving!
He was there to savor the moment
should it be his last.
As Tom’s life was coming to an end
he maintained his pride to the last minute in a VA hospital
wearing a blue blazer that no longer fit;
no one cared about his past.
I miss Tom’s advice to me,
his laughter at my watch
that he thought was such a great sales job
because I had to push a button
to tell time.
His loud laughter rang in the night
raising high his special drink
to wish me and all
the best of life.
I miss both of these men.
They were the special friends of a lifetime
never to be replaced.
They are in my heart each day
with the warmest of love to my dearest friends
Cliff and Tom.
Whenever you both may be
in the great wonder of it all
I am one person
who misses you both
oh……….. ever so much.
“Three Kinds of People in the World” copyright 2014 John J. Rigo, upcoming poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”
Posted in Ways to Overcome False Friends, tagged Cleaning house of Friends, Cleaning the "Stink of Friends" off one's back, Dealing with False Friends, friends, Getting rid of "Users" in your Life, Phoney friendships always use the word "Love" in their conversations, Those "info commercial" buyers of real estate on July 18, 2014| 1 Comment »
“Great saying on dealing with Backstabbers and Phoney Friends” courtesy of image Google search.
“Fair Weather Friends” copyright 2012 John J. Rigo, upcoming poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”
Posted in Discovering False Friends, I have had a "belly full" of e-mail and text "Friends.", Poems, What True Friends Really Are., tagged Arts, friends, friendship, God, Lord, Poetry, Television, Texas, What true friends are on June 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Courtesy of lomography.com
"Friends of a Lifetime" copyright 2005 John J. Rigo "Rainbows Amidst Storms"
Posted in "Rainbows Amidst Storms" Second Published Book, A Poet and Commentator remembers his departed friends, Friends of a Lifetime by John J. Rigo, Passed away friends are never replaced, tagged Christmas, Commentary (magazine), friends, Health, IBM, Jesus, missing our departed friends, Philosophy, relationships, remembering our friends, Texas on April 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »
With the passing of time
I have come to realize that there are truly
spaces that are never filled
by the loss of friends who were very personal
to my mind and heart.
Through the years
do the memories of Cliff and Tom
constantly come to my mind.
Never are they dead in my heart.
I see each of them
special in their concern for me
as the friends they were to me
and yes the love they rendered to me.
Have they been replaced in the void left by their absence?
No one has accomplished that.
Cliff was the short, large man from the deep South
always with a tale of lesson and advice not wanted
but when given
seemed well placed.
He spoke of home and craw-fish
his Mother and his victories in life
never of his losses.
You knew he was special
a special person to know.
The same stories he related never got old
just deeper in meaning.
The straight-laced
IBM type of guy was Tom.
He seemed to have found victories too early in his life
burning, dying as a shooting star.
An anger was present about him that could never be explained.
Tom loved a good meal and good drinks.
Save the waiter or waitress who spoke too much while serving!
He was there to savor the moment
should it be his last.
As Tom’s life was coming to an end
he maintained his pride to the last minute in a VA hospital
wearing a blue blazer that no longer fit;
no one cared about his past.
I miss Tom’s advice to me,
his laughter at my watch
that he thought was such a great sales job
because I had to push a button
to tell time.
His loud laughter rang in the night
raising high his special drink
to wish me and all
the best of life.
I miss both of these men.
They were the special friends of a lifetime
never to be replaced.
They are in my heart each day
with the warmest of love to my dearest friends
Cliff and Tom.
Whenever you both may be
in the great wonder of it all
I am one person
who misses you both
oh……….. ever so much.
"Friends of a Lifetime" copyright 2005 John J. Rigo "Rainbows Amidst Storms"
Posted in "Rainbows Amidst Storms" Second Published Book, A Poet and Commentator remembers his departed friends, Friends of a Lifetime by John J. Rigo, tagged Christmas, Commentary (magazine), friends, Health, IBM, Jesus, missing our departed friends, Philosophy, relationships, remembering our friends, Texas on April 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »
With the passing of time
I have come to realize that there are truly
spaces that are never filled
by the loss of friends who were very personal
to my mind and heart.
Through the years
do the memories of Cliff and Tom
constantly come to my mind.
Never are they dead in my heart.
I see each of them
special in their concern for me
as the friends they were to me
and yes the love they rendered to me.
Have they been replaced in the void left by their absence?
No one has accomplished that.
Cliff was the short, large man from the deep South
always with a tale of lesson and advice not wanted
but when given
seemed well placed.
He spoke of home and craw-fish
his Mother and his victories in life
never of his losses.
You knew he was special
a special person to know.
The same stories he related never got old
just deeper in meaning.
The straight-laced
IBM type of guy was Tom.
He seemed to have found victories too early in his life
burning, dying as a shooting star.
An anger was present about him that could never be explained.
Tom loved a good meal and good drinks.
Save the waiter or waitress who spoke too much while serving!
He was there to savor the moment
should it be his last.
As Tom’s life was coming to an end
he maintained his pride to the last minute in a VA hospital
wearing a blue blazer that no longer fit;
no one cared about his past.
I miss Tom’s advice to me,
his laughter at my watch
that he thought was such a great sales job
because I had to push a button
to tell time.
His loud laughter rang in the night
raising high his special drink
to wish me and all
the best of life.
I miss both of these men.
They were the special friends of a lifetime
never to be replaced.
They are in my heart each day
with the warmest of love to my dearest friends
Cliff and Tom.
Whenever you both may be
in the great wonder of it all
I am one person
who misses you both
oh……….. ever so much.
“What your Best Friends Are” copyright 2010 John J. Rigo, Texas Commentator
Posted in Advice from a Departed Friend, Great advise from a departed friend, Uncategorized, tagged A Texas' Commentator in John J. Rigo, Commentary by John J. Rigo a Texas' Commentator, Eustace Texas, friends, Henderson County Texas, Johnny, Louisiana, Silver Star, Texas, United States, What money can buy, Your Green Friends on March 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »
“Your Little Green Friends“
One of my dearest friends from over thirty-five years ago was a gentleman by the name of Cliff Russell. Cliff is dead now. At that time he was the Father in a loving spirit that my real Father never was, between his drunken whisky binges. One day while in my thirties I related to him my disappointment with an individual that I thought was a friend.
Cliff had an easy way about him when he was offering advice. It was that “home-grown” attitude from being born and raised in Louisiana. He related, “Johnny, let me show you, what your best friends in life look like.” Slowly he withdrew from his pocket a roll of hundred dollar bills. As the saying goes, “The roll was big enough to choke a horse.”
Cliff went on to say, “This is your Little Green Friends. They will keep you warm when you are cold, cool when you are hot, and will buy you all the company, you will ever want, when you are lonely.” To this day I have never forgotten one of the loving lessons given to me in my life from a dear, now departed friend.
“Three Kinds of People in the World” copyright 2014 John J. Rigo, upcoming poetry book, “Passion Amidst Apathy”
Posted in Ways to Overcome False Friends, tagged Cleaning house of Friends, Cleaning the "Stink of Friends" off one's back, Dealing with False Friends, friends, Getting rid of "Users" in your Life on February 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »
“Great saying on dealing with Backstabbers and Phoney Friends” courtesy of image Google search.
Texas Poetry 
"Friends of a Lifetime" copyright 2005 John J. Rigo "Rainbows Amidst Storms"
Posted in "Rainbows Amidst Storms" Second Published Book, A Poet and Commentator remembers his departed friends, Friends of a Lifetime by John J. Rigo, Passed away friends are never replaced, Real Friends only come once in a Lifetime, tagged Commentary (magazine), friends, friends of a lifetime, Health, Jesus, missing our departed friends, Philosophy, relationships, remembering our friends, Texas, the meaning of real friends on January 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »
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