At the Elvis Rock

In my life...
     This week, I posted on Facebook a picture of myself at the Elvis rock.  This rock was named by my friend, Tim Fay, many years ago during our annual fall golf trip.  The first thing to know is that Tim was actually an elementary and high school friend of my older brother Joe.  But, Tim was my friend too.  Joe, Tim, and their friend Chris went on an initial golf trip to Hueston Woods about 25 years ago.  They came home with some good stories including one about having to walk and carry their bags over a bazillion holes in 100 degree heat with no water.  They described it as the Bataan Death March.  I'm not sure it was that brutal, but parts of the story may be true.  Of course, golf is best with a foursome and so in the following year, I was asked to go too.  This was the first of two decades-plus of golf trips with Tim, Joe, and Chris, as a core,  and as many as 12 other guys too.  We played at courses in Kentucky and Indiana.  But they all had 1 thing in common; our group was allowed to have a party as we played.  And so we ended up at Wooodson Bend Resort on Lake Cumberland where, during 1 day of golfing during our party, Tim saw Elvis. This was just 1 small story in a hundred that occurred over the many years.  Tim’s sense of humor was priceless.  He made me laugh as hard as I have ever laughed.

     A rock that looks like Elvis’ profile is not memorable in itself.  What makes it special to me is that on April 20^th, 2008, Tim lost a years-long fight against cancer.  Up to this time, I have had people in my life pass away, but Tim’s passing affected me quite deeply.  I guess this is because he‘s the first friend I had who has died.  I guess it is also because he was so young, just 56 years old.

     I think about Tim pretty often.  When at Mass and asked to add my own intentions in silence, I always ask that Tim be at peace in heaven.  Whenever, I hear news of Elder High School wrestling, I think of Tim.  Wrestling was a decade long connection between us, too.  Tim organized Elder’s Kids Club wrestling team while I organized and coached Elder’s Jr. High Club team.  I coached because I had wrestled in this program when I was in 7^th and 8^th grade, and then during my years at Elder.  Tim did not wrestle that I know of.  If he did, I know he didn’t excel at the sport.  But I do know he loved it, and the hundreds and hundreds of kids that came through his program. 

     Tim is no longer here to play golf or coach, but his Elvis rock lives on.  If you look at the size of the rock on my Facebook page, you will see that it will be around hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of years from now.  I miss his humor, laughter, and friendship.  When playing golf this week at Woodson Bend Resort, I made it a point to stop at the rock and think about Tim for a few minutes.  On one of the holes, I hit my 3 iron once particularly well, and I hope he saw it and knew that, as good as it was, it couldn’t match the way he smacked his 3 iron which was amazing when he connected with it.