Blog 3747 – 02.13.2026

Dear John

And no, this piece is not going to be about those heartbreaking letters that military people used to received from spouses and sweethearts saying that they had found another in their absence. Yesterday, I received a text from my dear friend John in Nebraska who wrote to say that his doctor had advised him that he had three weeks to live. John wanted to thank me for my friendship. I texted back thanking him for his and that I hoped we would meet again on another adventure. 

I met John on my final six month work assignment that ran from May till December of 2021. We worked together as third party gas utility inspectors on a gas main upgrade in Wayne, Nebraska.

John lives in Norfolk, Nebraska, home town of Johnny Carson, with his wife Michelle. I stayed at an RV Campground nearby in Norfolk. They invited me into their home to celebrate holiday gatherings with their family and to their lodge to celebrate Thanksgiving with their family and friends.

Over the years since that work assignment ended John and I have stayed in touch sharing important events in each other’s lives. I will miss that, but I believe that John and I will meet again in another adventure in time and space or perhaps at home in  a higher realm when these adventures are all over.

All I know for sure is that I believe that true friendship is one of those bonds that lasts forever. And as a favorite country song says, “If love never lasts forever, tell me, what’s forever for.” Many years ago I stopped saying “Good-bye” to friends and loved ones at their passing, choosing a more accurate salutation, “See you later.”

See you later, my Dear Friend John.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White

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