Remembering

My very good and great friend, Larry Orchard, passed away on Saturday after a brief but terrible battle with cancer.

He was a true friend in the best sense of that word. When my marriage ended and I had to move out of my house, Larry let me into his home. He was generous and kind about our time together. He did say he liked my cooking. Living there was a vacation of sorts from the stress that I was feeling in the rest of my life. It was a respite I very much needed, and I left after about 3 months, much more able to bear my burdens.

I knew Larry for more than 20 years. The cliche of someone who would give you the shirt off their back applied to him. He always listened patiently to my complaints and gripes when my life or my work was going badly. He endured his final illness with grace and amazing optimism. I miss him.