I had an idea for a post today, a lighthearted somewhat silly post, but I had to change that.

Silly left for the day.

My wife called me this morning to inform me that a friend of ours was in a car accident and died.

I would guess most of you have, during your lifetime received a call like this.

You understand why silly left for the day.

Our friend's name was David. He's one of those people who really makes an impression on you. Kind hearted, genuine, sincere and just a really really nice guy. He first made an impression on our family many years ago when my kids were kids. He just loved being around kids and could communicate with them  like not many adults can do. My kids as well as the children of many friends of mine are heart broken today. David was a special guy.

There are many people in my world who were much closer to him than I was. We didn't hang out on a weekly basis and we didn't get together during holidays. I would say we were long time friends, not close friends, but when I would bump into him at the local store every now and than, it made my day better.

I've been thinking of him all day. Snapshots of knowing him for 25-30 years have been filling my head, and making me smile. Years ago when we saw him more often he would come to our house and all his attention would be on my 3 girls. They were just little kids but he thought they were important and would look them in the eye and talk, and more importantly, listen, to every word they said. He would joke and play and they just loved him. Just a really good guy.

I remember watching him  from the ground, at the top of one of my trees, way up there as he did what tree surgeons do to prepare to bring down a tree that had died. David brought down a handful of large full grown trees from my yard over the years and let me tell you this. He was an artist. He was at home up a tree. I was smiling today remembering David, 50 ft up in one of my trees with chain saw in hand. All of a sudden he started flailing his arms wildly while hanging in the air then suddenly rappelled down. It seems he disturbed a bees nest and they were not happy. When on the ground he said, "If I had a bee keepers hood I'd go finish the job." It just so happened my neighbor had a bee hive, so I got him his hood. Five minutes later he's back up in the tree, hooded up, finishing the job. He was quite a character.

He was an environmentalist before it became fashionable.A walk through my woods with David was like going on a field trip. I've walked those woods a million times but a trip with David, well, I'd see things I never noticed before. A true lover of the earth he was and he made me a better person for knowing him.

David was younger than me and now gone way before his time. It begs the question why, but there are no answers. 

If there's a heaven he's there making that an even better place.

For those of you reading this who didn't know him, I wish you had.