This is about a man I love.
He loves me, I love him — and we’re forever bound to each other in that love.

Before you twist it, it’s not gay.
It’s the ultimate friendship.
We tell each other “I love you” and it’s real.
If that makes you uncomfortable, that’s your problem.

We’ve known each other since 6th grade in 1988, when we were both 11.
Back then, we didn’t know who we were yet.
Thrown to the wolves in junior high, figuring out:

Who’s good

Who’s bad

Who are the weird kids

Who’s “normal”


We spent the next seven years mapping it out.
Then life split us up — I went into the Navy, he went to college.
But we never lost touch.
Never gave up on each other.

As we got older, I had kids and he’d visit.
He got married and we’d visit.
There’s this unspoken thing between us — he’s always got a room for me, and I’ve always got one for him.

Our families are one.
His sisters are my sisters.
His mom? I call her Mom.
Nobody replaces my mom, but she’s a damn good second place.

We’re built different.
I’m good with my hands — figuring out how things work, fixing them.
He’s good with people — how they work, how to talk to them.

It’s a perfect setup.
I’m the square peg, society is the round hole… and somehow, he makes me fit.

He’s one of the most genuine people you’ll ever meet.
Guys like me? We’re a dime a dozen.
Him? One of one.
If you ever meet him, you’ll get it.

Most people don’t have friends for 35+ years.
You might think you do… but you don’t.
You’ve got friendly relationships, people you talk to sometimes.
Social media makes it look like you have hundreds of friends — but you don’t.
Well… maybe you do.
I don’t.

I’ve got one.
The one I can call anytime, anywhere.
If he’s got cell service and isn’t in a dentist’s chair, he’ll answer.
If I say, “Buddy, I screwed up,” he’s got answers.

If he calls me and says the same?
My only question is, “Where do I need to be, and should I bring the truck to move the body?”

And yeah — I’d do it.
That’s the kind of friendship this is.

We’ve got decades of memories, and we still make new ones every year.
Every. Single. Year.

If you can’t say that about any of your friends, then you don’t have this kind of love.

There’s no better friend in the world than your true best friend.
Nobody compares.
Nobody replaces them.
They’re your rock when you’re in a hard place.

Everyone should have one.
Most people don’t — and that’s a damn shame.

Jacob — I love you, buddy. Now and forever.