Was on Facebook on Tuesday when I saw the news that my buddy Mark’s brother John posted – their beloved father had passed. When someone passes, & the announcement’s on social, the alg0s are at work, & that seems to be the post that comes rt to the top of our feeds, comment after comment.
Mark & his brother were fans of the Devils when I ran the sales/service dept. We became fast friends – arnd the same age, sarcastic, passionate…big time fans. We’ve maintained a friendship in the 10yrs since. So I did what the 200-300 other commentators did, & left a supportive note.
But then I looked at the arrangements scheduled. The wake in NJ was the same day I was going to be traveling to Baltimore for work w the Ravens. That session had been planned since April, & the team had moved the date 4x to make it work for staff. I couldn’t pull out on them.
So I called up Mark, & asked him what I should do. His response hit me hard. He calls me Kussy – he said: “Kussy, the fact that you picked up the phone to call me, to talk to me abt my dad, abt the quirkiness of the same long mustache he’s had since 1974, to check in even abt missing the wake, that’s all I needed. That means so much to me & my family.”
You don’t realize how much even a call means, in a time when we’re so used to sending texts, DMs, & writing posts.
Of course I’m also bringing this up a day after a war’s broken out btwn Palestinians & Israelis. I don’t want to get into sides. Everyone has a take. But you have ppl rt now, either there in the eye of it all, or here w ties, who are struggling.
On my end, for some perspective, I’m a Jewish man. Visited Israel when I was 14 w my parents. It’s a special place for Jewish ppl, bc it’s the only country that’s “ours.” It’s tiny. The size of NJ. But since 1948, it’s represented that we (only 14 mill Jews on the planet, .2%) have a homeland. When under attack, that reality – having a place to call our own, is at major risk.
Flags are nice. Posts are nice. But if you have a friend – on either side of this – pick up the phone & call. Check-in. See how they’re doing. Just personally let ‘em know you’re there for them.