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He had no respect for the degenerates.

We were never really sure about Al. He had so many stories and such a thick accent that we often had trouble figuring out what he was saying. We had no idea what the accent was, maybe it was just a speech impediment or maybe he was from an isolated island off the coast of Newfoundland. We were never sure. 

One day Al would tell us about how he was an enforcer for the Hell’s Angels, accurately naming high ranking officials within that organization as if they were his friends. The next day we would be talking about his many years working the carnival circuits. 

Al was very protective of women and could also be quite the flirt. He told me about a long list he was writing of local men who had disrespected women and that one day soon the elite from the Hell’s Angels were going to arrive in town and deal with all these man. Al was going to help deal with these disrespectful men that he called “the degenerates.”

Al also liked to tell us about the mansion he owned out in the country where he sent the women who he had been assigned to protect. He really had the best of intentions. 

Al had the just about the most impressive mustache I have ever met. Al had light skin that burned easily but he spent almost the entire summer shirtless and red.

I will miss his intensity and humour, and even if I could not always discern what he was saying, we often had a good laugh together. 

I still grieve.

Peter was a close friend of mine for many years. We met at Sheridan College taking Art Fundamentals back in the 1980s. He was a very good photographer, visual artist and musician. 

There was an intensity to Peter’s work, like he was seeing beyond the veil.  

Peter never tried too hard to fit in and his life was an expression that art and creativity are important.  

Let’s talk about soul ties or perhaps “people we know in spirit.” Have you ever noticed someone that you have not previously met and somehow you know that you know them? Very few of us have the nerve to actually say something we just endure these odd moments of irrational recognition and move on. My wife Laura and I call them “one of those people” it’s a positive recognition of someone special that we feel a connection to that we cannot rationally explain.

What would it be like if we would act on those moments of irrational spiritual recognition? I have done it a few times and it has always been a good decision. Peter was one of those people for me. The memory is vague, it happened in about 1981 but I just decided to start taking to this unusual art student and there began a life long friendship. When Peter died a few years ago I was crushed. He was my go-to person to discuss “whatever” oddity I had encountered, with the expectation of a deep dive discussion about it. 

I have more old photos to dig up and more drawings of Peter to do.

Everyone who knew Brian, loved Brian.

He could be charming, with a sharp wit, and he was also incredibly kind. I heard he had once been a semi-professional wrestler, which explained his powerful build and cauliflower ears. Brian was also a deeply spiritual man who didn’t take life too seriously. He knew we are only here on earth for a short visit before moving on to someplace better. Our conversations ranged from crude jokes to exploring deeply spiritual ideas.

Brian could be intimidating and very loud, and he had piercing blue eyes. I knew people who were afraid of Brian, but anyone who took the time to get to know him discovered a warm, loving, and kind friend.

He was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, we laughed, a lot!

I have done a many of drawings of Brian (and will do many more), there are only a few here, I’m never satisfied. Try as I might I cannot convey the complexity of this saint who was so rough on the outside but so bright and beautiful on the inside.

My friend from the forest

Have you ever met one of those “magical children” who talks to fairies, and aliens and sees ghosts? That’s Matthew. There is something magical and special about him. One minute you are discussing the weather and the next you are talking about the crystal light people that you can only see through refracted light. The conversations just always felt so normal. 

When I knew Matthew he lived in a haunted forest near the Grand River. We often talked about the forest spirits. Most were good but there were also some who were not. Occasionally they would threaten or harass him so badly that you might see Matthew on the street yelling back at them. Matthew was also very generous and freely gave away his clothing, possessions and food to anyone in need.