It is time to say thank you to my friend Jim. My life was a continual landscape of desolation and it was all I could do to stagger through the minutes. I cared for nothing, least of all myself. Pain seemed to have seeped through the pores of my skin, even thoughts hurt. 

And then, like a blizzard of dandelion seeds, he came back. With the irrepressible energy and joy of youth he lit the spark of what was left in me. He restored hope and helped me find my lost self. He never judged nor dropped me as a has been. We both cried for loves we had lost and laughed - a lot.

I want to thank that boy - my boy - the only boy I will have for being there and bringing the smile back to me.

Year 2000. Nashville, Tennessee