Typically, I can find humor in everything.
Just ask my co-workers, friends and family — come to think of it please don’t ask those people.
But there’s absolutely no humor in the closing of Limestone.
In fact, it felt more like a punch to the gut that left me breathless.
I didn’t attend Limestone, never sat in a classroom or even walked the halls of its beautiful buildings.
The reason it was emotional for me is what matters most in life — the relationships you make.
In fact, County Administrator and Limestone grad Merv Bishop called me Thursday morning to ask me if I was going to be OK, knowing about the friends I had made through the school.
The most important one is the one I made with a backup to the backup to the backup to the backup (actually only the backup to the backup) Limestone men’s lacrosse goalie Steven Christofides who introduced me to his aunt, who is now my wife, and the most wonderful and caring person I know.
Then there’s my best friends — beginning with former Saint basketball player Bobby Jones, whom I met just a few weeks after moving here at the Timken gym where he was missing jumper after jumper after jumper. Obviously, exhausted and out of breath running down all his misses, he sat down and we started to talk. He asked me where I lived and I said Westwood Apartments. In his thick Southern accent I think he said, “Me, too.”
He actually lived in 1308 and I lived at 1306, units that were diagonal from one another. So even though we lived in the same block, we never saw each other.
Forgiving me, I guess, for poisoning him by spraying a bug killer on a sandwich maker he used but I didn’t tell him until he left the hospital after a 4-day stay with abdominal pain, we became best friends because of a mutual interest in UNC basketball.
He has asked me to be his best man for all eight of his weddings. For the first time ever and to the delight of David Dorman who hates that I never correct the number of Jones’ marriages – it’s actually four marriages.
Then there is former Limestone baseball player Jeremy Williams, whose parents’ call meant so much to me during my 16-day stay in Presbyterian Hospital recovering from two surgeries for colon cancer.
Former Limestone wrestler Dustin Swindell was the only workout partner I ever had because at that time he actually worked out as hard as I did. He was known for his stare and lack of calf muscles; and his annoying habit of unexpectedly pushing down with all his weight as I was pushing up much more than 251 pounds on the bench press.
After telling him never to do that again, he would do the same thing on my next set.
There’s also best friends Jacob Huggins, who wrestled at Limestone, and former Limestone baseball player Josh Cesario — I attended each of their weddings.
I thought Josh was kidding when he asked me to say the reception meal prayer at his wedding.
Much to the horror of my wife, he wasn’t.
The MC walked over and asked where Larry Hilliard was. He then handed me the mic. I looked quickly at my wife who was shaking her head ‘no’ (like she does when I eat a snack with more than 26.5 grams of carbs) knowing that an inappropriate joke could be just seconds away.
I remember working out with Jacob at the Gaffney Middle School gym when I noticed he kept texting someone. He told me it was a girl named Summer. They married and have two great kids and he operates a successful irrigation company near Columbia.
Needless to say, I’m very proud of him.
Most recently, there’s current LU baseball player Brandon (AKA ‘Abdul’) Grieder, who lives in Orlando by way of Armenia. I met him about a year ago at the YMCA. We had an interesting first conversation that lasted about an hour. We haven’t stopped talking since. I should say I haven’t stop talking and he hasn’t stopped listening, especially during a memorable trip to South Park mall in Charlotte to get the web of his baseball glove fixed at Dick’s sporting goods store. The memorable part (use your imagination) had nothing to do with the glove, which by the way the employee fixed for free.
After a few meals at my house, I know what he likes to eat (inside joke).
Why the closing of Limestone felt so much like losing a best friend had nothing to do with its championship lacrosse teams, beautiful campus and wonderful food at its cafeteria, it has everything to do with the relationships that I have made there and now it appears the new ones that will never happen.
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