Written by The other day I was racing through the land of Facebook. I was going really fast, and sifting through the unimportant to find something of meaning, something with backbone. Honestly, I don’t remember what I was looking for, but I remember what happened next. I clicked on the left side of the screen, on a link called ‘Events’. I hadn’t even done it on purpose, but for the two seconds that I saw the link open, and before I clicked back to wherever I was headed, I saw the smile. Joe’s smile. There was the little thumbnail picture of Joe Hubbard. It’s now his birthday, and I had that reminder coming up in my ‘Events’.
Suddenly my high-speed pursuit of whatever through the land of Facebook came to a screeching halt. Naturally, I smiled, as it’s hard not to when seeing Joe’s smile. I swallowed hard to push down the instantaneous lump that had jumped up into my throat. And in an instant, my perspective on my day, my week, my everything changed. Nothing was rushed in that moment, my life was at peace, totally fine, not a single complaint, for I was looking at the face of a late friend who, in the latter days of his life, went through more in single days than I have ever faced in 40+ years. So, I stopped, I looked at his picture on my screen, and where I sat, I said a little prayer regarding Joe, his family and his friends, and to ask forgiveness for me being such an bull-headed idiot. Ya, that bad day I was having, or the tiring week I was increasingly fed up with was nothing compared to what I know Joe encountered. I know there are others, way too many others, who have been through so much, but it was that moment spent with the picture of ‘Hub’ and the memory of him that got me back into gear. Thankful, reverend, and in remembrance I moved forward.
At the end of this, I have shared the link to the tribute I wrote to Joe nearly two years ago now. But before I get there, I find it quite telling that nearly two years later, Joe still affects us, brings us together, and impacts moments when impact is needed. Happy Birthday Hub.