Northeast Gardening: Thoughts about my late friend Richard Norek, RIP, 1 by nutsfordaylily

nutsfordaylily wrote:
I wanted to share with my friends here a blog I wrote on facebook about my late friend Richard Norek. As most of you know by now, he passed away just over a week ago. I have a lot of good memories of him. So sad that some people cannot shake their addictions.

Here is my blog:

"Richard Norek RIP


Today we went to the wake of our good friend Richard Norek. He will be missed by many and touched so many lives in such a profound way, in spite of his drug addiction. Many people in this world are battling addiction, and Richard, sadly, was one of them.

Hope, Dad and I met Richard through our good friend David Wolfson. David started bringing him to our house for dinner, and we loved him from the start. He was such a funny guy, the way he would mock David, the cute, funny faces he would make. He was full of energy and life. After awhile David and I started going to concerts with Richard in Boston and Hampton Beach. One day we spent the entire day at Hampton Beach with David, Dad and Hope. We swam and relaxed in the sun on the beach and walked the boardwalk. Rich acted like he was the mayor of Hampton Beach, and he looked like he was in charge. While we were there we noticed that KC and the Sunshine Band were going to be playing there on a Wednesday night, so David and I decided to take Rich there for his birthday. We had a blast, and Richard, of course was hilarious, even though he almost got us kicked out by dancing on the table. Those were some fun times.

He stayed with David for awhile, but eventually he couldn't stay there anymore, as it was just too far to his job, and too much for David to keep driving him to work, conflicting with David's schedule. Hope and I offered to let him stay at our place, and he was with us from about Feb. till June of 2010. He was respectful of our privacy and was always offering to help out. He did so much for us, and I was really appreciative of all his help in the gardens. This past gardening season I have thought about him a lot as I worked in my gardens, wishing he were there to help. He spent time hanging out with Dad, and he would watch episodes on Dexter with me, streaming on demand on Netflix.

Eventually we had to make a decision that Richard needed to go. Hope helped him get some help, and things seemed to be going well. After awhile he started going back to his old ways again. He wanted nothing to do with us at that time. We knew it was because of his addiction, and we knew he was probably feeling guilty about things that he had done while he was with us. We said we wanted nothing to do with him, but we were really sad that we had lost a friend.

Richard used to tell me about how he grew some giant pumpkins with a friend and entered them in a fair. One was over 800 lbs.! While at the wake today I was privileged to see photos of the pumpkins growing and after they were grown, and also of Richard at the fair with his pumpkins. While at the wake I got up and spoke of some thoughts of Richard, mentioning the giant pumpkins, and I said that next year I would grow some myself in memory of him. I also mentioned that I wanted to name one of Mom's daylily seedlings after him, so David and I will visit his mother at some point and show her pictures of some the ones I have in mind, and let her choose one that she likes.

About a month before he passed away, maybe more, I starting thinking more about him and wondering what he was doing and where he was. Then David heard he was in a rehab center and got the opportunity to talk to him. Richard was very depressed. He had been in rehab for some time. He was ready to get out, and David offered him a place to say. Hope got a chance to talk to him on the phone. I, sadly, did not get that opportunity before he passed. In my heart I had forgiven him for turning away from us. I knew he really didn't mean it. I knew he couldn't help it. I just wanted to let it be and forget about it. I wish I'd had the chance to see him one more time.

Richard knew Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and I know he is at peace now in the hereafter. I'm sure I'll see him again one day. For now I will think of all the good times we had together and savor the memories. Rest in peace, Richard, my friend. You were like a brother to me, and you were loved by so many."

Karen