Of all the bright, almost blinding, life events I have experienced, the most radiant of all is spending time with special fantastic friends. I have been blessed right from birth to be the recipient of the love of my mother’s friends, my father’s friends, and my sister’s friends. Holding memories of get-togethers, the flowing conversations and laughing going hand in hand with food and flashy decorations, music with jumping and dancing fill my mind and I never tire of playing them over and over.
The quickly passing years held many days and nights when friends filled our home. Dinners included people who may have smelled the food and found themselves sitting at the table at my mom’s insistence, happy to be joining spontaneously, or invitations long planned. We all felt the joy of gathering rain down on us.
Recently one of those people who spent many nights drinking wine and laughing together in our great room lost his battle with ALS. He didn’t make us land in a dark place when he told us that these times with special friends, each moment more precious than gold, were how he wanted to live his fast falling away days.
And if his last days teach us anything and make his one desire a road map to life’s secret, ask those friends you love to spend time with you. Long after the days are gone, the memories live forever.
This column is dedicated to the memory of Frank Dodero, long-time resident and great friend to countless people in Naperville.
