Goodbye To An Old Friend, Hello To A New Year

Once again a new year has started with the passing of an old friend. I don't know what happens when you get close to 40 that good people start saying goodbye.

Gregory Slay was the drummer in a band called Remy Zero. We knew each other in Los Angeles in the mid to late-90s. I was a pretty devout follower of the band and friends with the guys, who were all devastatingly charming as southern gentlemen can be.

I remember Gregory as curious, intelligent, and funny... we had a lot of excellent times together. My fondest memory is making him watch The Wizard of Oz for the first time. We drifted apart over the years, but recently I got back in touch with Cedric LeMoyne and via Cedric found Gregory on Facebook. I sent him a message trying to reconnect... and had no idea that a month later he would be gone.

Cedric's been posting a lot of pictures of him... and they make me miss that time when our lives converged. I hope that wherever his went in the last ten years was good and with his passing and my friend Melissa's last year, I realize that living life to the fullest and going out early is better than a half-life that goes into your 90s.

Melissa's unexpected death really set the tone for the rest of 2009. It had its highlights but felt dark, like a year lived in the shadows. With Gregory's passing, I think I'll step into the light and remember what it is to be engaged in life... for those who have gone before me and those who are around me now.

It's been nice to see that he is remembered beautifully and well in a lot of corners of the world.