Good friends are hard to come by, but great friends are even harder to find. It is rare that you can find a friend that you can confide your personal life with; one that you share your family with. I’ve rarely come across such friends in my lifetime, but when I do, I keep them close to my heart! I am a pretty private person, and I do not allow a lot of people to enter my personal life very often.
In 2013 I met a man, but not just any man! He was a man of many talent and skills, but that wasn’t nearly as important as who he was to the people he encountered. He was the most generous, loving, compassionate, and caring man I’ve met! He was full of life, laughter, knowledge, trivia, and jokes. His name: Joe Mills!
I remember seeing Joe for the first time. He had just came to the floor from training, and all I could think of was…newbie. He sat a few rows away from me, and the first thing I could remember was, this guy is funny! I don’t know how we first engaged in a conversation, but I can say that I fell in love with his personality and his laugh instantly! Every day I went to work I couldn’t wait to see his face (and a few others). There was one particular day that I came in to work, and he came up to me and took a big sniff of me. I said, “Joe….did you just sniff me?” and he said, “Yes, you smell like honey suckle!” OMG I knew from that day forward he was going to be a part of my life for life!My children would come up to visit me from time to time at work, and they absolutely loved Joe! He would make these bird and chipmunk noises, and blow bubbles from his eyes just to make them laugh. They dubbed him Baymax, and they were always satisfied with his care!
I never really liked my job because it gave me serious anxiety just entering the building (it was a good job, just not a good fit for me personally). However, I would spend hours after work in the parking lot having a great time conversing with him and other friends. I didn’t want to go home when I was around him. He simply just made life fun and worth living! To say he had the best hugs would be an understatement! I quit that job in 2015, but I would come up there solely to get a five minute hug from him. Those hugs would cure all the pent up stress built up over months. It was like he sensed how long the hugs needed to be, because he just wouldn’t let me go…until I was satisfied with my care!
I saw Joe a few weeks ago in a favorite bookstore we visit frequently, and I ran up to him giving him the biggest hug! We talked for nearly an hour, and once again he entertained my children (much older now). NEVER did I realize that would have been the last time I saw him! I opened up my Facebook account and saw a picture of him hugging a girl, and thought, “what new adventures has he been up to?” As I read her post, my heart sank! I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I told myself that she was lying. I searched his page and saw all the beautiful post of the memories he shared with so many people. I burst into tears! I cannot believe that he is gone! This is so unreal! I punched a wall and wanted to scream, but couldn’t find the energy to do so! Why? This can’t be! My heart is crushed, beaten, bruised, and in so much pain! I cannot stop crying…he was so good to me and to so many others!
Pray for his family and friends! He was loved by so many! We are going to miss you Joe!
That Great Friend, who was so hard to find!
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