I received the news yesterday that one of my closest friends from high school was on life support after being diagnosed with spinal meningitis. It all happened so quickly and now he's laying in a hospital bed on life support waiting to be sent home to God.
Kenny and I became friends through my high school sweetheart and we quickly forged a bond. His family lived on the same street as so many of the kids we went to school with and he had tons of friends. All the girls liked him. He was cute and sweet and funny and kind... and so much more. He was my friend.
On summer nights we would all sit out in the street listening to music, telling stories, laughing and talking. When I was sad, Kenny would put his arm around me and let me cry on his shoulder. When I was happy, he would laugh with me. When I just needed a friend, he would wrap his arms around me and hold me.
I have so many fond memories of him that I hold dear to my heart. One summer night, we were all hanging out with his family on his front lawn. They were a close-knit, religious bunch (he has two sisters). We were laying down on the lawn cuddled up in a blanket, looking up at the stars. I never used to show affection like that but he made me comfortable. He loved me for me.
Kenny is the (only) reason I fell in love with country music. He and his neighbor Matt got me listening to, don't laugh... Billy Ray Cyrus. I never would have imagined myself listening to anything with a twang. If it weren't for Kenny playing "Achy Breaky Heart" I might not have ever opened my heart and mind to country.
On summer days, the gang would all drive out to the local reservoir and the boys would go on the rope swings. They would climb down the steep hill, grab the ropes hanging from the trees and literally hoist themselves up and into the water. My best friend Renee and I never did. I had an immense fear of the dirty green water but we would sit back and watch the boys. Kenny loved the rope swings.
I haven't spoken to Kenny since high school though I did look for him on Facebook a couple of years ago with no results. Last summer I connected with an old friend (who was one of the gang that would hang out on that street together) and he is the person who shared this devastating news with me. I feel sad that I missed out on the last years of Kenny's life. I'm told that he was very happily married with two beautiful boys. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he is gone. I am beyond devastated that this wonderful friend and good-hearted man has passed away so early in life. He will be missed by so many. I can't even begin to imagine how much this has rocked his family's world. Words cannot express the devastation.
Kenny Lipska, may you rest in peace. God bless you and your entire family.
*If you have any memories to share about Kenny feel free to respond with a comment.
***Afterthought: Feeling sad, I just took a drive through the old neighborhood and relived many of the memories. As I was turning onto the street, Lady Antebellum's song, "Need You Now" came on the radio. How ironic that a country song would play at the exact moment I was driving on Kenny's old street (I was not listening to country radio). So sad.
