My public open house today at 1034 Park Lane was a smashing success. There must’ve been at least 12 couples in attendance. It’ll not surprise me a bit if it gets sold within a week. Like I said, it’s priced very “right” considering its location, the age, the square footage, and recent updates. There’ll be some who’ve looked at it recently, and then later on in our sales season, and long after its been sold and closed, sorrily saying, “We should have purchased that home when we had our chance.” In regards to this home, the saying, “If you snooze, you loose.”, is most appropriate.
After my open house, I had to run back to my office for another appointment, and when finished, I found I had enough time to make it to an out-of-town church service. I got there just as they were singing their opening hymn. The most memorable happening was when the pastor during his sermon spoke about the sudden death of his older sister, and how it affected him as well as his parents, along with numerous other siblings for the rest of their lives. What struck me was his comment that there’s still, while after those long years, not a day that goes by without thoughts of her. A sudden death within a family is so terribly tragic that it leaves permanent and ever so noticeable scars.
Just as I was walking out, two women with whom I worked with a very many years ago at an area bank stopped me. I was nearly speechless when seeing them. Evidently, they were attending some sort of function together after their Services. While we were having a good chat, one of them mentioned their pastor’s sermon, and how something like that must’ve been so horrible at the time. I couldn’t help but share my own thoughts about a great loss I suffered when my very best friend of many years passed. The only reason I brought it up was to clarify what I’ve recently discovered after my many months of a personal “soul cleansing”, of which I’ve now found that there’s been an illumination given to me from beyond time and space in which I now more fully understand what a real best friend is.
For me, a true friend exists when two people accept each other’s triumphs and failures without strings attached. I went on to say how lucky any human can consider themselves to be when knowing before they die that they had at least one true friend. In Germany, it’s considered one of the greatest personal achievements before death. There is a Germanic saying that goes something like, “If someone you know has passed, and while standing above that grave stands his/her best friend weeping, then you’ll know he/she died a very rich person.” I think my statement must’ve struck a chord with them because they were both a bit teary-eyed after I said it. I’m glad I ran into them and had the opportunity to share a few thoughts and reminders.
Now on the flip side of what I just said. Don’t you think the above sketch speaks volumes to our society regarding how so very often we’ve helped certain supposed “friends” and/or “relatives”, and then later showing their own personal forms of thanks, which unfortunately takes place all the more later than sooner. Wouldn’t it be interesting if we all started counting each others knife scars, and then give generous prizes of endurance for those who’ve survived? Tonight’s story is the truth, and I’m sticking to it.
