Loss of Friends

Joe Miriovsky's obituary was in this morning's paper. Joe and I were in the same grade at Garland High School  as Freshmen and Sophomores. He transferred to Dwight Assumption to finish out his HS education. As Freshmen farm boys, it was quite natural that we became best friends. There are few times a13-year old farm boy and a Freshman in HS. I was extremely disappointed when he transferred. We even played basketball against each other during those Junior and Senior years. We would see each other at Dances, etc. but both made new friends and went our separate ways. While I had other friends, no one of them was as important to me during those early years as Joe. He married a local girl, had a nice family and farmed in the Brainard area. We did meet occasionally, and I remember a good visit in the Bee States Ballroom a few years ago.

 Here is how we looked in the spring of our Sophomore year. Joe is at the right end, and I am next to him. The girl who is second from the left, moved to Lincoln with her folks that summer, and I have no information on her. But from among the others, Joe and I were the only ones still alive.  While living a long life is a blessing, it's difficult to see old friends pass on even when we know that those like Joe are at home with their Lord and Savior. We also learned that Rev. Al Smith died earlier today. He was the Minister at the local Methodist Church when we transferred there. It was only a couple weeks later that he announced his retirement from the position. He remained in Seward, and we have been good friends over the years. The loss of these two friends came on our coldest day so far this winter. Our thermometer showed zero as we ate lunch. It didn't warm up much and the wind blew our skiff of show around. Our streets are covered with a thin sheet of ice that came with yesterdays freezing rain. We haven't been out of the house since yesterday noon and don't have plans for going to Church tomorrow.