A Lesson in Thankfulness

As we come into the thanksgiving season I began to think on the past year and found such a mixed bag. In March I had lost my job to a corporate move to Florida. By August I was back employed in a new an even more exciting job! And what was taken away turned into something given that was better than before. In February I found out my best friend of nearly 14 years Montrice had been diagnosed with cancer of the kidney. In March a group of us threw a party at Half Past Three in Detroit to help raise some money to help cover the bills while he went through treatments. He was up and around and I was happy to talk to him in person. The distance from Detroit and Toronto never seemed far with Monty, he was always calling me from his job, and if he missed the call I would be callin him back. He would always greet me with a “Hey what’s shakin!” or “What’s the T!” it would transform my worst day to good when he called. I had met him through one of his roommates I was dating at the time. “There was something classy about this guy”, I would think to my self and eventually even after I broke up with his roommate, I would still hang out with Monty and his other roommate at the time Jerris.

There were lots of house parties, and cabaret’s we would attend, Friday nights at Bookies and Heavens where Monty would meet the man with whom he would spend the rest of his life with, Corey. There was a connection between us, born out of shopping for cloths at Summerset Mall, going to eat at the back stage dinner, clubbing. Eventually the circle of friends would become so large as to be legendary. The birthday parties, Christmas parties, and jazz swarays had become equally legendary. Christmas most of all was a time that I will always remember, I would not always make the party but was there nearly every year on Christmas day where most everyone came back for the leftovers! Oh did I say he could cook? Monty put his foot into everything that hit his stove!

We lost Monty in August… The treatments proved to be worse than the cancer. Just a week before I had the chance to see him twice in the hospital. He was on a respirator and while awake he was unable to talk. I could talk to him and he would move his head yes or no. He and Corey had just closed on their first new home, and I wanted to tell him what a fantastic home they had picked out… he so loved to do interior decorating! He squeezed my had for 20 min, until it lost all feeling and I knew all I had to know from the gesture, I was able to hold back my tears until I left the room… I left saying what I needed to say.

Unlike the job I lost Montrice was someone I would not be getting back. A week later he was gone and I was back in Detroit to say goodbye. For months now I have had a stack of pictures on my coffee table and as I began contemplating all that I had to be thankful for It suddenly struck me that what I felt most thankful for was having Montrice in my life. While he was gone from my everyday world he was always going to be in my life. He taught me that there was a way to live my life, with a little more class and pinosh. He lived his life well and as a result drew many within the circle of his life. I’m thankful for all of my friends and family, I’m thankful for my god given talents, and I’m thankful for all of the images I have taken that remind me of those in my life and how good I have lived my life!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!