Today is Randy Porter’s birthday. He was my best friend. We met when I first arrived in Indianapolis to work with the Friends Volunteer Service Mission (VSM) in 1971, and died 12/26/2011. He asked me to be godfather to his sons Brandon and Shawn, and gave me the chance to share in the experience of the joy of raising children, that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. We saw each other every day of our adult lives, with very few exceptions.
I recently came across the YouTube video of the X Factor audition of Josh Daniel. He sang “Jealous” by Labrinth. He explained that he lost his best friend, and was jealous that his friend was happy in heaven and he couldn’t still be with him. His performance brought the judges to tears, and a standing ovation. It makes me tear up when I watch it, too, because of how it expresses how much I miss Randy.
“Jealous”
I’m jealous of the rain
That falls upon your skin
It’s closer than my hands have been
I’m jealous of the rain
I’m jealous of the wind
That ripples through your clothes
It’s closer than your shadow
Oh, I’m jealous of the wind, ’cause
[Chorus:]
I wished you the best of
All this world could give
And I told you when you left me
There’s nothing to forgive
But I always thought you’d come back, tell me
All you found was heartbreak and misery
It’s hard for me to say,
I’m jealous of the way
You’re happy without me
Labrinth
Quakers, social justice and revolution 
I knew Randy and Shawn and Derek when I was a kid. I remember Shawn had a yellow moped that we used to ride around the apartment complex. Randy taking me and Derek everywhere in the back of his s-10 pickup truck and going to all of his baseball games. I remember fishing with Shawn everyday for an entire summer. I’m sad to see they have passed. I had even visited your place a couple times with Randy and Derek.