A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 145~ Friendship In Autumn

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

~ Anais Nin, The Diary of Anais Nin, Vol. 1: 1931 - 1934

 

I have a lot on my mind this week. I am happy about vacation, I have really needed it this year, but as happy as I am about this time of rest and relaxation, I am also very sad, remembering my friend Steven and my cat Elvis, both having passed from life, and my life, way too soon.

Elvis passed away on October 8 2008. He was 11 1/2 years old, and the kitty love of my life. Smart. Funny. Determined. Understanding. Loving. Giving. Considerate. Charming. Quirky. Chauvinistic.Commanding. Confident. Compassionate. Loyal. Gentle. Womanizer. And there are many more single words that could describe him, but I will leave it here. These were his main traits. I miss him so much, sometimes I can barely breathe, but at the same time I know he is on the other side of life and fate, and he is happy, and he is cancer free. For that I am grateful, but at the same time not a day in 4 years has gone by that I don't think about him... and miss his silly ways.

 

 Steven and I met when we both had our blogs on AOL Journals. We became good friends. We both shared a big love of photography, and often shared our latest photos with each other. We had a twice yearly challenge between us. On Memorial Day weekend it was "Hamburger Day." A fun little challenge to see who could produce the most photogenic, and of course, best tasting hamburger in the land.

It was fun.

Every October 30th, Steven and I played a very different challenge... Haunted Refrigerator Night. I looked it up, and yep it is a genuine Wacky Holiday. And again, we had tons of fun with it. Sometimes I went for ultra spooky, sometimes silly and spooky, sometimes a little of both. :) I miss those times with Steven... I miss his friendship. His counseling. His suggestions about my photos. His understanding. He is willingness to be a friend when I needed one, and his ability to step back when I just needed to be quiet. When Alan tried his hand at photo blogging, Steven was the first AOL Journals friend to welcome him. That meant a lot to me, and it was fun to watch he and Alan become pals.

 

Steven had a cat named Pickle. Pickle and my cat Elvis became Internet friends. LOL. The two would cross post photos of themselves when the opportunity arose. During the 2008 primary season, Pickle and Elvis debated on who would make the better democratic candidate for the office of President. As we get closer to the election time, I might rerun Elvis's stance. It was a humorous post, with some serious undertones. Anyway, Pickle also had his say... it was a great way to open a dialog about the future. I wish I would have saved Pickles response, as Steven's blog has been closed and I will never get to read it again. That picture above was a gift from Steven, he emailed it to me that summer, I am so glad I saved it to a special drive on the computer.

On the day I wrote my post about Elvis's diagnosis with cancer, Steven confided that Pickle was also sick. Not with cancer, but rather because of his age... kidney failure. Pickle was 17 and he had lived a long life. So, between the the spring of 2008 and the early autumn of that year, Steven and I shared our heartbreak, and it made it all a little easier to take. Both of us lost our pets that year, and I think something in both of us died a little with our kitties. Alan and I adopted Hendrix and Dylan fairly soon after Elvis passed away, and while it didn't make the grieving hurt less, it did open this other bright sunny window that I think helped me cope a little better.

Today would have been my friend Steven's birthday. It feels strange to not be able to send him a card. He passed away a few days after his birthday in 2009. One's birthday and death should never come in the same week methinks.

I miss my friend.

But I can also hear him say... "Go find the photo." :) Like he is still here. I guess in a lot of ways... he still is.

Happy Birthday Steven.

"Words are easy, like the wind; Faithful friends are to find."

~William Shakespeare

~Carly

Today's Link Is From My Pal JR. If You Haven't Had A Chance To See His Marvelous Photography... Go... Shoo... Go See It! :)

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/10/apadf6-142.html