thoreau

Brett in his classroom at Colorado Academy

Twenty two years ago - I met Brett James. (

septimuswarren) He was just 21 - I was 19. I was stationed in the US Navy at Mare Island going to school to be a cryptographer. I joined the base affiliated boy scout troup and ended up up at Silverlake Boy Scout Camp - (about 40 miles southwest of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada). Brett and I bonded immediately - - and have been friends ever since. I returned once to serve on staff with Brett the following year. Then we saw each other through major life transitions -

I came out in 1989, I tested positive in 1993, lost Joe in 1994, and he was the strongest voice of support through the end of my relationship with Jon in Idaho - and my move to San Francisco.

He got married, finished his masters - moved to Denver, divorced and came out and spent last year struggling very hard at a difficult school - and is now shining bright at a brand new college prep academy in Denver as the new kid on the block after 15 years of teaching.

Lately He and I have been sharing his search for the spiritual, a shared love of Rumi and Hafiz - and of course Uncle Walt (Whitman) and Henry David Thoreau. He is one of those friends I cannot imagine having in my life. David and I were talking last night over dinner about the things we loved about our vacation - and I just adored introducing David to Brett. David describes him as "one upbeat fellow..." and that is the perfect description.

Our visit to see Brett in Denver was all too brief - and we'll be back again very soon to see him - and spend weekends cooking and drinking wine - and finding out what the next 20 years of friendship will bring to us. I really feel Brett is on the verge of a real life course-altering epiphany... the energy around him right now is palatable. It makes me VERY excited to be part of his family of friends - and makes me ready to support whatever might come his way.

Friends like Brett are an indispensable bond. Uncle Walt said "...I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends..." I used to think that way - and not embrace my friends as closely as I might have. But - particularly in the last couple of years - my core group of brothers become more and more and more important to me. The Thoreau qoute I used as the subject-line for this post is a favorite because it really speaks to taking friendship to that NEXT level - - where friendship means deeper things - discovers deeper things - becomes a meaning in your life.

Brett's place in my life has more meaning every single day.

Yay!³