This is my lifelong friend that I consider a brother also. We go all the way back to our childhood growing up together. My brother and I, my cousins, and Timmy played together in Desota Court in Childersburg, Alabama. So we've known one another our entire lives. We all laugh about our childhood adventures together like it was yesterday. It's memories that last forever. It was innocent times.

Fast forward a lifetime of years. I'm 60 and the rest of the crew is older than me. Not sure how old Timmy is now, maybe 64 or 65. Timmy's health is declining. At the present moment, he has a history of multiple heart attacks. He has congestive heart failure along with C.O.P.D. In this past decade, he has had 8 stents. And if this is not enough, he has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. At the moment, he is on oxygen basically all the time, lungs are functioning at about 60 percent. The doctors have yet to decide the plan for the cancer. He is unable to work at this point in his life. He draws a small disability check. He is a character that will make you smile. Everyone in Childersburg knows him. Geez! The friends he has is a testament to who he is. A bit country like many here, grew up like most, where our parents made a decent living. Back in the day, his dad was Pap Finn, the Chief of Police here. I'm amazed at how many friends he has. Everybody knows Timmy.

His friends really showed out this past Saturday. He and I keep in touch. During one of our conversations in the last couple of weeks, he told me that he would like to see all his friends one last time. So he packed his oxygen tanks and bags and made his way up here to his cousin's house, Lulu, where this gathering was to be. I told him Robbin and I would be there. I'm so glad we went. It was an incredible gathering of love to support him. Never seen or experienced anything like this ever. I've always said that I never understood why when people die, people from our past show up to pay their respects after many years of their absence from our life. Timmy did something I never gave much thought about. Oh boy! How it resonated with me. He told me he wanted to get to see all his friends one last time in one place and did he ever. His friends showed up to the tune over the entire Saturday of over 300 people. They brought grills, music, and laid a table of food you can't believe. It was so amazing, the support that people showed him. I saw people that I grew up with and had not seen in years. It was definitely a homecoming of ages for one man. The joy that shined on his face is priceless. How many people have such a support group like this?

I would ask that all his friends would lift him up in prayer, remember him and where he is in life now. Also, I ask that we all remember the preciousness of life and the time that is given to all of us to remember our friends and to also enter into the trials that they are going through. Let's walk the path with them and support them in every way we can. Let's count our blessings and use them on others. Share what we have. In the body of Christ, there are many members, all are equal, some may be an arm, a leg, a joint, a hand, a finger, none are greater than any other. I would ask to all his friends, that you would give as to what God has given you. It does not matter what you give, but that you do give unselfishly as to your own blessings. He is unable to work now. Your blessings will be tenfold. There are bills to pay. This is our opportunity to share our continual support and love for our friend and the many others who think of him as a brother. He does not know his time left here, only God does. I want to go ahead and thank everyone who gives in love, whatever you give. It doesn't matter. Love has no measure.