When the good times come again

Today is two months since my friend Fran's passing and with baseball season in full swing, I have to say I miss her. We used to have a friendly Rangers/Yankees rivalry on Twitter and it made the season more fun for both of us. Every day brings another memory of her and the things about her that always made me smile. Those times, however, are gone. In an instant they were ripped away and left me with only memories.

These days memories are all I have of Fran, as it is with many in the Manilow world who knew her. But life goes on and we can't focus on the past, or what was or would have been, but on the future and hope and pray that the good times come again.

The good times...I certainly had some of those. Even with all the fan drama, those good times always outweigh the bad. I often wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't been to that show in Vegas on my birthday in 2006.

My life would certainly have been different. Thinking back, I  made a wise investment. I'm not talking about the shows, or the brief Manilow moments that happened during the shows and at Tempo. Those were nice but they don't last and faded away when I left Vegas. What did last? The friendships I made at the shows, online with this blog, and through the Barrynet. I can't put a value on them except to say they are priceless. We've had some ups and downs; we've had some losses. I've lost some friends and gained some others. I've learned the value of true friendship, the heartache of betrayal and weathered the vicious attacks of bullies.

My prayer today is that those good times will come again and that we will be able to make some new memories. The music drew us together but the friendships kept us coming back time after time. I'm glad, however, that those friendships weren't all about the music, but about shared joy and sorrow that transcends the world of Manilow.

Til the good times come again, even if it is away from the music of Manilow,
Texas Fanilow