February 7, 2026

 Today is a celebration of life for my friend Stan. we often called him Frenchy. He wasn't from France. he was from Maine. He was a good guy. I had been his caseworker when he lived in a recovery house. I became his sponsor after he moved out. I remember him sharing once that he asked me to be his sponsor because he didn't like me and figured he didn't want us to be friends anyway. But, we eventually became friends and remained friends for twenty years.

He developed cancer and although he fought hard, it eventually got him. I'm going to say goodbye to him today. Another old friend of mine is driving me there. I think it's good to maintain contact with the important people in your life because you never know when the next storm will come.