Thursday, December 18, 2025
I’ll never forget the day I was trying to track down another childhood friend on Facebook, when I got a message: “Hey Tim. Remember me?” We used to hang out when we were kids.” It was Shawn. It had been 50 years, but the memories seemed like yesterday. Shawn and I had been gang members together. It was a gang of 2 called’The Coolies’. We wore our t-shirts proudly as we rode our bikes through the neighbourhood surrounding Meredith Park. I recalled going downstairs at Shawn’s house as a hobo (as we called them back then) was coming up and simply passed through the door. No words were spoken. One day. Kraft Dinner was on sale for $0.19 per box. Shawn, myself, and 2 others each bought a box. We went to Shawn’s house, cooked it all in a big pot, then proceeded to devour it. It was fun getting together to reminisce with Shawn, a number of times. over a cup of coffee. Even better was realizing that we were still friends. Our sense of humour was the same. Conversation came easy. it was great to get to know Shawn, the man: a good man, a caring man, a responsible man, a man who loved his wife and family more than anything. I’m so happy Shawn reached out to me that day. A childhood buddy became an adult friend. I will miss you.
