Mermaid on Land

"If you give love and live long, you'll never be alone. If you give love and live long, you'll always have a home." -Roo Panes- Ralph and I aren't the type to share a lot on social media--not necessarily on purpose, it's just not something we think of doing. I often write about him--I just don't share it.  For those of you who don't know here's a little bit of our story: We have known each other our whole lives; my uncle and his dad have been friends for close to 40 years. That same uncle is Ralph's godfather. I don't remember nor can I imagine my life without Ralph's family being a part of it (and I wouldn't have it any other way). We went to the same high school but we didn't talk much. Mostly because my huge  and life-long crush on him caused me to turn the other way every time I saw him lest I embarrass myself. We really lost touch in college; I went to Franciscan University in Ohio and he went to the Univ...

"But you, my dear friends, must build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourself within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life." - Jude 1:20-21   Between the ages of 11 and 13 I had a very good friend. His name was Roy Ankeny. Before I continue there are a few things you need to know about Roy:  1. He was 57 when we met. 2. He came into the Catholic Church at Easter of 2007. 3. He took St. Jude (patron saint of hopeless causes) as his confirmation name. 4. He was a poet and an author. 5. He struggled with bipolar disorder.  Now I'm sure some of the details aren't going to be exactly correct but this post isn't about the details, it's about Roy . I first met Roy at Mimi's Cafe in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was on his way home from a retreat that my dad was also participating in and my mom and I decided to meet them for breakfast ...