“No man is a failure who has friends”

“No man is a failure who has friends.”
George Bailey, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

He stumbled into my family when my dad moved to Cobden as a sophomore in high school.  During his first few days of school, he met a senior (BJ) who was the star of the basketball team.
My dad challenged him to a basketball game and the rest is history……………

Actually… depending on who’s telling this story, you might hear that my dad won – or that BJ won…
and then you would definitely hear some heated disagreements between the two of them!
But all in good fun – because what was actually won that day was a friendship that would stand the test of time.

I have called him my uncle since I can remember, but he isn’t officially blood related.
He is, however, the epitome of a great family member and I’m sure proud to claim him!

“BJ”, as I have grown up knowing him, goes by several names – Robert, Bobaire, BJoe the Nacho and Beej.
What awesome nicknames for such an awesome guy!

BJ was like a 6th son to my grandparents.
When their 5 biological sons all left the nest, here came BJ to fill the void.
I grew up hearing stories about BJ and my grandmother going frog giggin’, the flying spit cup and countless others!  He never had children of his own, but he sure treated all of us like we were his own.  And still does.

We don’t see him as nearly often as we’d like ~ he works on the riverboat and is gone a lot.
However, he makes it home for the important things and that’s what counts.

When I first became ill, my brother was 2 years old and my younger sisters ranged in age from 7-12.
When it was important that my parents be by my side, BJ did not hesitate for a moment
and took on the incredibly difficult task of caring for my younger siblings.

The job was definitely not easy – just ask him about the time my brother was hiding in the barn.
Or how the washing machine liked to “eat socks.”
There are too many stories to count.
But what each one of them proves is his unwavering love and care for each one of us.

Throughout my rebellious late teens and early 20’s, he served as a confidante for me, as well as the person who brought me back to life’s reality a time or two.
There are not enough words to thank him for everything that he has done.

BJ has provided a lot to us, but what we love about him the most cannot be purchased.
It is the enormous amount of love that he has in his heart, every single day.
It is the sincerity in which he speaks to you – the compassion he has in the hugs he gives you –
the loving tone in his voice when he wakes all of us up so darn early by singing Captain Kangaroo!

These are the things that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
God placed this wonderful man into the world and has made our lives much richer because of him.
As you can tell, he has taught us how to enjoy life and live with as much gusto as we can muster!
Our lives would not be complete without BJ.

So today, on his 61st birthday, I wanted to acknowledge all of his wonderfulness and introduce you
to one of the most important and loving men in my life.

BJ – if you’re reading this, thank you for stepping onto that basketball court to play some scrawny little sophomore all those years ago.
In my eyes, it doesn’t matter who won the game …
It was I who won when you came into my life.