Know What You Have

Everybody has heard, "You never know what you have until you lose it." Even in Spanish "Nunca sabes lo que tienes hasta lo que pierdes" makes things pretty clear.....if you speak Spanish, that is. The point is that you should celebrate the things that are special to you each and every day. In my case today’s celebration is of three people who, even though they are far away from me on the map, are great friends and very close to my heart.

Because of my life’s wanderings, I found myself in Raleigh, North Carolina for about ten years. A great city, Raleigh was where I met Ron Brown. “Mr. Brown” as I usually call him, started out as a co-worker but became a truly great friend. Rarely in this life have I had someone that I felt I could count on no matter what happened, but Mr. Brown is that kind of person. No matter whether I need a favor or a well-timed, albeit good-natured insult to keep me grounded, Mr. Brown is really the kind of friend that everyone wishes they had.

Another treasure that I uncovered at the same workplace was a burly West Virginian named Mike Bell. This guy is as country as going barefoot or picking the banjo, but that country side blended perfectly with his common sense and Christian values to give me the kind of counselor I probably always needed. Mike teamed up with Mr. Brown to make sure that “el guapo” never got too far out of control!

Teresa Manns is the other incredible discovery I made while I was in Raleigh. If I ever found a friend that was more like a soul mate, Teresa is that person. You wouldn’t think it to look at us, but “Slim Tee” is like my twin sister from a different mother. We just connect and even if we don’t talk for a while I know that one phone call and it’s just like old times. Teresa is one of those people that I believe can do anything she chooses and I don’t think there is anything in this world that stand in her way.

Some people don’t know what they have until they lose it. Even though I am not in Raleigh anymore, I am not one of those people. I have three incredible friends and I will never forget how truly blessed I am for that. It’s been said that a true friend is a treasure and if that is true, I am much wealthier in this life than Bill Gates or anyone else with money could ever be.