SOBRIETY

I had this friend growing up. His life has always crossed mine one time or another. When I was 4, he lived on the same street as I did. We played and rode bikes together. I moved around alot and in high school, we ran into each other again. We even went to a Sadie Hawkins dance together and had such a good time. He brought his video camera and we went to the bike path on the Columbia River, acting like we were cops. What was funny was there were some people down on the dock. They heard us and thought we were real cops. So they threw their drugs in the water.

He called me up shortly after and said he needed a ride to Yakima. He didn't want to be in the Tri-Cities any longer and needed a ride. So, I took him in my old Pontiac that only had high beams, and we started on our adventure. Along the way, we told ghost stories and then....a tire blew. We were stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire. I decided to drive up a little further where there was lights and we got that tire changed. I think we were running out of gas too. So before we went any further, we stopped and said a prayer. We were just young, but it seemed appropriate.
Then later in life, we had a class together at Tri-tech, a vocational school. The class we were taking was Videography. This was a tough time in MY life because I had left home. But I remember feeling at peace when I saw him, almost like a baby clutching onto their teddy bear.

When I was 22, I worked at a tv station, and yet again...I walked in the door and saw him sitting there as a master control operator. My crazy life, I yet again saw him there. He was always so happy and easy going.

Recently on facebook, he mentioned that he was celebrating his 28th year of sobriety. I thought, 28 years...never touched a drug or alcohol. Maybe that is why he was always so important to me. He never judged me or made me feel less of a person. 28 years.

This friend I am talking about is now a youth pastor somewhere in Washington State and his name is Mike Garbutt. I don't talk to him anymore but I'm sure glad he was there for me growing up. Everyone could use a good friend as a youth that is strong. It's times like this, years later that you thank that one person.