10 Years

One would think ten years is a long time! It sure seems to be. It’s a milestone that is always celebrated and remembered. It’s the first big wedding anniversary. Every 10th birthday is considered a “big one”. Ten years with a company is usually recognized. Yeah, 10 years is a long time!

On November 22nd my good friends Tom and Tracey Haggerty will be celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. I was one of Tom’s ushers 10 years ago. It was clearly one of the happiest days of his life. But in a small way it was a sad day for Tom too. His wedding party was short one man that day. One very good man.

Just weeks before their wedding, on November 4th, 1997, Tommy “Moons” Miney succumbed to cancer. Moons was one of Tom’s best friends and he had been fighting the disease for a long time. While we celebrated that night we took a moment to remember Moons. And believe me, we have never forgotten.

While Tom had to remind me of the exact date that Moons passed, I’ll never forget the night. It was a typical Tuesday. Jen and I had dinner and she was off to bowling. I sat down to watch TV. A short while later, much earlier than expected, Jen walked in. She was upset, she was crying. You need to understand; that’s not Jen, she’s not that girl, she’s not a crier. When she cries, it’s because something hurts, and this hurt really bad. That’s because Moons was that kind of person to everyone! Jen’s brother Jimmy was great friends with Moons and just like everyone else he met, he befriended Jen as well.

Along with the rest of Woodside, I like to think I’m funny or quick witted. But none of us can compare to Moons. If you ever had the pleasure of sitting in on a conversation with Jac’s, Brian Anderson and Moons than you truly know what funny is. And Moons was the one who would almost always come up with the one liner that would make everyone else say “time for a new topic because we simply can’t top that one”.

Ten years ago I turned 30. We had a small get together at what was at the time the apartment of my 2 brothers in law. My closest friends and family were there. Moons was there too. Sure me and Moons were friends, but he wasn’t there because of that. He was there because Jacs asked him to be there. It was May and one of the last times he was out of the hospital. And while the Jacs brothers were playing bartender, Moons went from person to person, chatting up a storm. And just before he moved on to the next person or group, you would hear the laughter from the one he had just been talking to. Before Moons left that night we sat and talked. He mentioned how great it was to see so many friends, he talked about his treatments and then he made me laugh out loud. And then he moved on.

When Moons got sick his family and friends held a fund raiser at the school to assist with medical bills. I’ve heard Woodside get loud before, but when we played “Tommy Can You Hear Me”, it was absolutely deafening. The thing that strikes me about that day though, is that it’s the type of day Moons would have loved. A room packed with family and friends, food, drinks and The Who. Tommy would have done what he did at my birthday party. Moved from group to group with his sneaky smile, make them laugh, then move on.

Just about a month ago, July 30th, was Moon’s birthday. He would have been 37 years old and we all would have laughed a great deal more. Well every year we try to do just that. We get together with Moons family and friends to honor his memory. So this year, why don’t you join us. If you’re reading this, you either knew Moons or you know someone that knew him. And trust me, either way you are better off for it.

The annual Tommy Miney Memorial BBQ will be held on Saturday September 29th at Sunnyside Gardens Park (39th avenue and 49th Street in Sunnyside) starting at 2pm and ending at dusk. A $25 donation gets you food, drinks and games. We’ll have some raffles and some laughs. All proceeds go to St. Sebastian’s Youth Council in Moon’s name.

Yeah, 10 years is a long time! But sometimes it goes by so fast.

As always, until next time, stay safe!

later,
dan

"My karma tells me, You've been screwed again! If you let them do it to ya, you've got yourself to blame! It's you who feels the pain! It's you who takes the shame!"