My Best Friend Ray.

Days like today remind me of Ray.  

It's the days that the world's large snow globe is all shook up and our neighborhood looks like a Winter Wonderland.  

Ray was my best friend.

But before he was my best friend, he was just the Grumpy Old Man Around The Corner.

Ray always yelled at my brothers.

He yelled at them when they played hackie sack on the street.

He yelled at them when they would skateboard.

He would yell at them when they would jump on the tramp.

Ray even yelled at my dogs.

One day, the power went out.

It was out for a long time.

Mom made me bring flashlights to Ray's house.

I really didn't want to.

Mom even invited Ray to dinner.  

I didn't like that idea at all.

On Sunday, Ray came for dinner and he didn't yell.

He told us stories about his horses.

Ray became my best friend that night.

I saw Ray every day.

On days that it would snow, like today, mom would send me over to shovel Ray's walkway.

I always grumbled, but I liked the way it made me feel.

Ray would hear me shoveling the walk and he would drive me to school.

Even though it was only a block away.

Since Ray passed away, it's days like this that I know he is looking down on me.

It is a sweet reminder of the friendship we had all those years ago.

I miss My Best Friend Ray.