Losing a friend...

[GammaZeta]

I went to meet my boss today at his house so we could head over to a breakfast we were scheduled to attend. Another friend/colleague was joining us.

When he pulled up and saw me waiting, he broke the news to me. A good friend of all of ours and a good volunteer had died last night after a head on collision with a car while taking his new bike for a spin.

It's still kind of weird. I remember glancing on our area internet forums last night around 8 (where people post quite frequently about what's going on in the city) and reading about police closing down the intersection of a street and seeing out of the corner of my eye on the news something "about a motorcycle accident in CITY." I never gave it a second thought, just thinking "gee, that's too bad."

Seems like there is an accident every couple weeks in my area.

Got the bad news this morning. He told me straight out, "Tom died last night in a motorcycle accident."

It really is a small world. My girlfriend accepted a new job at a center just one town over about a year ago. We went to an event together sometime last year in September and we both recognized two people across the room sitting together. It was my friend Tom and a good friend/secretary that my girlfriend works with. Amazingly, they had just begun dating, and we each had an unrelated, but mutual connection. A very small world.

Tom was a few years older than me. My girlfriend would come home from work and tell me what Tom's girlfriend would gossip about. You know the little things about new relationships; the trip to the beach, the petty but cute fights, how much in love they are.... Even though they were older, they seemed like two juniors in high school dating. That type of love, with butterflies in the stomach and everything. I think after each of them suffered tragedies with a spouse, they finally found someone they could love.

Tom got his brand new 2008 Harley just a couple days ago. Last night was the first night warm enough to start riding.

Around 8:00 pm last night a 22 year old driver hit Tom head on, killing him instantly.

Tom was an amazing person. He always had a smile. Never a bad word to say. He was the type of person that made you feel important, that you mattered, and that you were always his friend.

I just felt that I needed to share this with a group of friends...brothers. Just so someone would know that a great guy was lost last night. I'm just having a hell of a time with this. I have a lot of emotion and sorrow that I just can't get out. I'm angry, sad, doubtful, I don't know how to feel.

This sucks.

God Bless Tom...you will always be remembered and loved.