Several years ago, a close friend in Illinois was informed that he had a type of cancer. Through his battle with the disease, he would call periodically and we would occasionally have a visit. Prior to the dreaded news, we had enjoyed many years of an “encouraging friendship.”

He would be one of the few people I would vent my feelings to, talk over frustrations with or seek wisdom in certain situations, one of the few people I would categorize as a “David and Jonathan” type of friendship.

Several months after the treatments were completed, a Peoria newspaper had a call for articles in which people would write essays about individuals or events that had contributed to their lives in a special way.