Heroes and Friends

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I’ll start this post with some lyrics from an old Randy Travis tune, appropriately called “Heroes and Friends”

I ain't live forever but I've lived e-nough
I grew up with cowboys I watched on T-V
and I've learned to be gentle and I've learned to be tough
my friends and I sometimes pre-tended to be
I've found only two things that last to the end
Years have gone by but now and again
One is your heroes the other your friends
my heart rides the range with my heroes and friends

Your heroes will help you find good in yourself
your friends won't forsake you for somebody else.
They'll both stand beside you thru thick and thru thin
and that's how it goes with heroes and friends.


As I travel through life, I continue to learn some invaluable lessons in life. Many of you will know that Lynne and I are generally friendly with most people we meet, but are pretty tight with people we call true friends. We also have a very short list of people we consider to be our heroes. There are even fewer people we can call our heroes and friends. Those of you on this extremely short list know who you are. You have touched our lives and have provided inspiration to us. You continue to shape our lives and provide us that guiding spirit that allows us to forge on and enjoy this wonderful ride.

Over the years, I have found that I have temporarily lost touch with real friends. It’s amazing that we lead such busy lives that we get sidetracked and sometimes can’t just find the time to communicate. True, I may not be the best in staying in touch, but when I pause, that list of heroes and friends comes right back to the forefront.

In recent weeks, we have been successful in re-establishing contact with some heroes and friends we have temporarily lost contact with. It is really powerful to re-claim old friendships and reflect on “the good old days”. It is priceless to share those memories that shape our lives and bring those memories to life. Most of these memories are of happy times, but sometimes these memories bring us to some rather emotional times in our lives. That is what is special about real friends. Each of us has those moments in life where we reach out to those closest to us and rely on these friends to help us get through these challenging times. For those of you who have shared some of those rocky roads, thank you for being there—you know who you are and we have reflected on those times.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to see all of our real heroes and friends before we depart on our trip. Although we may have had plans to do so, we regret that our planning and function checks have taken a priority. We will make it a point to attempt to visit with you when we return. Never forget that we value your friendship.

Lynne and I have also recently experienced some lessons in life about friends. It is really amazing who you can put stock in people you consider to be a real friend only to find out that their friendship was solely based on self-serving needs. These are people who have mastered the fine are of manipulation and deception. We wish these folks no ill will because we both know that we reap exactly what we sow in life. We certainly wish the best for these folks and wish they can find true happiness as they travel down this road we call life. This list of folks is extremely small, but nonetheless, it still exists. It’s funny, but somehow I know the folks who fit into this category will never realize their ways. These types of human relationships are just engrained in their being.


Family is in a special category of people altogether. Family is most certainly the mainstay in our lives. We are both blessed with our immediate family. One constant is always having family right around the corner to give us strength. The great thing about family is that family is forever. Sure we go through some rocky times together. We even experience those times when we are at odds with each other, but when the rubber hits the road, family will always be there. Lynne and I will say that we do consider some of our heroes and friends as our extended family. You have been there and we have been there for them.
Ok, so here is the bottom-line. For those of you in our close circle of heroes, friends and family, thank you for being part of our lives and giving us the strength to venture out and experience the vast unknown world. We will take each of you with us as we explore uncharted territories.

To our newfound friends we have met along the way, we have enjoyed your fellowship and stories. Stay in touch.

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