They can fall so easily. More easily than i think we realize. (Don't read any further if you cry easily.)
All of this is as told to me by #1 Son.
The scene: #1 Son at work at the pizza place. His phone rings, he rinses his hands at the sink and takes it out to see it's his friend Andrew, who wouldn't call him at work unless it's dire.
#1 Son answered, listened a moment and said only two words, "Oh, no!" listened a moment more, then hung up.
The manager saw his face and immediately said, "Go home!"
"Our friend Brian died."
"Go home."
"Heroin. It's always heroin that does it."
"Go home!"
"We thought he was sober."
"Go Home!"
"Everyone thought he was clean, they even sent him away for a year of treatment."
"Go Home!!!"
"His grandmother found him slumped over with a needle in his arm! We thought he'd been staying clean! He hid it from everyone!"
"GO HOME!!!"
#1 Son called #2 Son, who also was friends with Brian, and came home.
Andrew, he said, called back and warned him not to get on Facebook, as their whole circle had exploded with pics and tributes and people crying buckets for the boy who they all thought had beaten that monster. He showed me some of it, but he had to stop. He tried to go back to work for his split shift, and the manager wouldn't even let him get through the door.
"Your next shift is day after tomorrow, I don't want to see you until then," the manager told him. "You don't need to be here trying to make pizza and crying."
Watch the kids in your life, keep them close. They can fall so easily.
Today is
Act of Self Determination Day -- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Easter Tuesday -- TAS, Australia; Cyprus; Nauru
Empowered Women Entrepreneurs Day -- this one is unsponsored and listed on many calendar sites
Genocide Memorial Day -- Rwanda
Goddess Karna's Day -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (goddess of crying and wailing)
Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa -- Buddhism (birthday of Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy)
International Beaver Day -- celebrating the species that restores valuable wetlands
International Snailpaper Day -- relax today with a hard copy of a regular, old fashioned newspaper
Metric System Day -- officially adopted in France on this day in 1795
Motherhood and Beauty Day -- Armenia (day the Armenian Orthodox Church celebrated the Annunciation; it is the only Church to celebrate it on this day, which is also observed as Mother's Day in this country)
National Beer Day -- US (unofficial, the celebration of the end of Prohibition)
National Coffee Cake Day
National Health Day -- Kiribati
No Housework Day/Let Someone Else Clean Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, enjoy this one!
Pandia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (a festival of Zeus; date approximate)
Scottsdale Culinary Festival -- Scottsdale, AZ, US (six days, ten events, 20 wineries, 30 chefs, and 100 restaurants, all to raise money for arts education in the community)
Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day -- Tanzania
Southland Provincial Anniversary Day -- Southland, NZ
St. Saint John Baptist de La Salle's Day (Patron of educators, school principals, teachers)
Women's Day -- Mozambique
World Health Day -- UN
Anniversaries Today:
World Health Organization is founded, 1948
Prague University is chartered by Charles IV, the first university in central Europe, 1348
Birthdays Today:
Russell Crowe, 1964
Anthony Drew "Tony" Dorsett, 1954
Jackie Chan, 1954
Janis Ian, 1951
John Oates, 1948
Gerhard Schroeder, 1944
Francis Coppola, 1939
David Frost, 1939
William Hodding Carter III, 1935
Wayne Rogers, 1933
Daniel Ellsberg, 1931
James Garner, 1928
Ravi Shankar, 1920
Billie Holiday, 1915
Walter Winchell, 1897
Bronislaw Malinowski, 1884
John Joseph McGraw, 1873
David Grandison Fairchild, 1869
W.K. Kellogg, 1860
Walter Camp, 1859
William Ellery Channing, 1780
William Wordsworth, 1770
St. Francis Xavier, 1506
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"South Pacific"(Musical), 1949
"Monsieur Beaucaire"(Operetta), 1919
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major,"Eroica"(Beethoven Op. 55), 1805
Today in History:
Attila's Huns plunder Metz, in northern France, 451
Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I issues the first draft of the Corpus Juris Civilis, the basis for much civil law even today, 529
A crowd in Florence, Italy, storms the Convent of San Marco, demanding Fra Savonarola be turned over as they rebelled against his Bonfires of the Vanities and interference with trade, 1498
Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu, 1521
Michael Cardozo becomes the first Jewish lawyer in Brazil, 1645
American pioneers found Marietta, Ohio, as the first permanent settlement of the new Northwest Territory, 1788
France adopts the meter as the standard measure of length, 1795
The Mississippi Territory is established, 1798
English chemist John Walker invents wooden matches, 1827
Thomas D'Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation is assassinated by the Irish, in one of the few Canadian political assassinations, and the only one of a federal politician, 1868
Nebraska establishes an 8 hour work day, 1891
Texas Oil Company (Texaco) is formed, 1902
An eruption of Mt. Vesuvius devastates Naples, 1906
Dr. K. Winfield Ney performs the first brain tumor operation under a local anesthesia, at Beth Israel Hospital, 1923
Using phone lines, the first long distance television image is sent, of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, from Washington, D.C. to NYC, 1927
Booker T. Washington becomes the first African-American depicted on a postage stamp in the US, 1940
Syria is officially recognized as independent from France, 1946
Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his "domino theory" speech, 1954
Spain relinquishes its protectorate in Morocco, 1956
IBM announces the System/360, 1964
The publication of RFC1 marks the symbolic birth of the Internet, 1969
Development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter, 1978
During STS-6, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first space shuttle spacewalk, 1983
Mars Odyssey is launched, 2001
Mass protests begin across Moldova under the belief that results from the parliamentary election are fraudulent, 2009
Following the death of Bingu wa Mutharika, Joyce Banda becomes President of Malawi, 2012
I remember those years when I worried so much about my kids and their friends taking a wrong turn. My son had a bit of a difficult time then, as did I. I am so sorry for this family and all of Brian's friends. That evil drug hangs on and takes many lives rich and poor, old and young.
ReplyDeleteMy son is a teacher, and there seems to be a resurgence to this epidemic. Very sad, such a waste.
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh- it is so awfully sad. Your son is so compassionate.
ReplyDeleteso very tragic.
ReplyDeleteAnd this tragedy is played out day after day after day. So very tragic.
ReplyDeleteBig hug to your son. ☺
You hear about these tragedies in the news all the time, but when it involves someone you know it makes your marrow freeze.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for Brian and all who loved him. Yes, I cried at this. You told this so well, my friend. HUGS.
ReplyDeleteoh so very tragic. my heart goes out to all involved... especially your dear boys. Such things strike fear into my mama's heart and I can only pray that my own will be strong when such temptation comes knocking. but for some, it can be such a slow slow fade; that you don't even know it's happening.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insightful comment on my post, as it was difficult to write.
ReplyDeleteYep. One of my family members is in jail for getting high, and killing someone with a car. God Forgive Me, I am hoping that might help her... Cat
ReplyDeleteSadly, most people who get hooked on heroin don't make it. They may kick it for a while, but they so very often end up dead anyway. This happened to several kids I knew in my 20's. It was always when you thought they'd cleaned up that they suddenly died. I've heard that you lose the ability to feel happy once you use enough and that is sad indeed. So sorry for your son, but hopefully it scares him and his friends enough that they all stay away from that nastiness.
ReplyDeleteSo sad. You are right, you need to keep them close. Having safely reared my own children I now constantly worry about my grandchildren. I lost a loved nephew to heroin nearly 20 years ago, we too thought he was clean - and the grief is still there within the family. Hug your boy for me.
ReplyDelete