I first met Ras when I became a freshman at the University of Minnesota, Morris in the fall of 1962. We hit it off immediately.

He and his roommate lived neighbors to me in Junior Hall, a dorm that was filled with wide-eyed freshman boys who were experiencing their first years of independence.

That explains why the toilet in the bathroom suddenly exploded after an unnamed student dropped a lighted cherry bomb into the flushing water.

Frequently the dorm silence was broken as students returned from a night of partying, and the hallways became a scene of chaos until a dorm consular arrived on the scene to restore calm.

Thankfully with friends like Ras, his roommate and others, we formed a more sensible ‘lifestyle’ group that in the end ensured that we did not suffer the feared college ‘F’ word, flunking-out! 🙁

Oh, we did crazy things too, but common sense usually guided our behaviors.

Like the time a bunch of us were in a dorm room, and athletic injuries became the topic of discussion.

I made the mistake of speaking up and announcing that I had never experienced being taped after suffering an athletic injury.

That prompted Ras and his roommate to produce a roll of athletic tape as they looked leeringly at me.

That prompted me to sprint out of the dorm room with the taping crew in fast pursuit. They tackled me and proceeded to wrap my hairy legs in large amounts of athletic tape.

The removal of the tape was very painful, and I had learned a valuable lesson about keeping my mouth shut!

There were the Friday night gatherings in a dorm room where the Lutherans and the Catholics squared off and debated church doctrine.

Both groups left the debate assuming that their side had won. 🙂

Ras and I became college roommates the following year. We both were taking Spanish as a foreign language requirement.

He sat at his desk memorizing Spanish words while I sat at my desk doing the same thing, except not quite as diligently. When the grading period arrived, Ras received an A while I struggled in with a C! 🙁

Muy bien!

We enjoyed college life; sporting events, girl chasing, panty raids, minor food fights, homecoming celebrations, class lectures, intramural contests, field trips and making friends.

In fact, Ras’s family and my family continued our friendship throughout nearly our whole lives.

Then a change occurred when my wife was diagnosed with the beginnings of Dementia. For six years our lives were on hold as we wrestled with the disease.

Toward the end my life was consumed with caring for my deteriorating wife.

Unbeknownst to me Ras had his hands full caring for his spouse who was battling lung cancer.

In December Ras’s wife passed away, and my family sadly made the decision that nursing home care was what my wife Kathie needed.

After several months in the care center a CT scan revealed that Kathie also was suffering from bone and stomach cancer.

She passed away in November. 🙁

So those two beautiful souls are presently in Heaven and enjoying perfect peace.

Meanwhile I’m on earth regretting my failure to support my friend like I should have.

Yes, my plate was full and overflowing at the time, but I could have taken time to have sent condolences. I regret it now.

I feared Ras would be upset with me and I was too ashamed to contact him and apologize.

My three adult children urged me to contact him, and you know how wise adult children can be.

However, the straw that broke the camel’s back came when I was having my morning prayer time and read Proverbs 27:9.

Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy.

That sounded pretty good to me, so I decided it was time to make the call.

The worst thing that could happen would be a loud click as Ras hung up on me.

I punched in the numbers and nervously waited for a response.

Thanks to caller ID, Ras answered with a cheerful voice, “Hey, It’s Michael J.! How are you doing Michael J.?”

With that response I knew all was forgiven. 🙂

Until next time.