Here one day, gone the next GAW in memory of a short friendship

I sure did enjoy your story about your encounter with Henry. What a touching and special moment. Now to hear this I must admit I'm stunned and saddened. It was so very nice of his wife to reply to you and inform you of this. It's also very touching to hear just how special that moment was to HENRY also. Obviously it was far more meaningful to him than you realized at the time.

That knife will now hold far more meaning that it already did. Every time you take it out of your pocket you'll be transported back to that hour on that day many years ago... Bless him and you for that moment that we all here have been moved by also.

What a great tribute to Henry - to do a GAW of an identical Tinker to the one he gave you. :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
It is a shame your friendship was so brief but better to have known each other than to never have met.
 
Parke1 said:
Oh, how sad that he passed, but how wonderful that you were able to meet Henry and share such a wonderful experience together. You obviously left a great impression on the man, and I'm sure he was as thankful for your meeting as you are!

Not an entry for me, but I am going to order a new tinker in Henry's honor. You know what I'm going to do with that Tinker? I'm going to keep it in my briefcase that I always carry, and wait. I'm going to wait until I meet the right person, and pass it on to someone who will appreciate it. Just like Henry did.
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Thankyou parke1 I think that's a brilliant idea and that right there is why I love this forum so much. I can't think of anything he would have liked better, though of course I only knew him a short time. The gift that is giving is truly one of the most precious we have. Thankyou again for your thoughts and thankyou in advance for that young soul who will surely be forever grateful with a tinker in his pocket, just like me.
jackknife said:
Not an entry, but just wanted to say that this is a very fitting giveaway for your friend. What a great man, I'd have loved to have known him. One of his last acts on this earth was to gift something meaningful to a stranger he'd just met. He had to go out his way on his visit to go find a SAk for sale, and then go back and find you. This alone puts him way above the run of the mill person. But then, the traditional knife scene seems to attract above the norm people.

I feel like going and getting a tinker to carry for a while, to remember a man I never met, but who would go out of his way for a stranger. A very good lesson in something there!!!

If only half the people were of this caliber, it would be a far far better world.
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Thankyou Carl, it puts a smile on my face to think that Henry will have affected you when it was in part your stories that led me to sit across the table from him. I'm a little sad to think he never got to read the printouts that I sent him of your stories, but knowing that his memory goes on here and with everyone who took something away from my short time with him is a great comfort, thankyou.
pmew said:
Such sad news. I read your post about the encounter and was delighted to hear about the gifted tinker. I'm so sorry to hear what happened.

I'll share an anecdote about my Grandmother.

Stella is 94 years old. She is a wonderful woman who spent much of her life in China, where she worked as a red cross nurse. Whilst there she met my grandfather who was a Christian missionary also working there in the Hunan Province. My mother and her siblings were brought up in Hong Kong. Recently I went south to visit my parents and join in their Ruby wedding anniversary celebration. Whilst there I visited my Grandmother. Stella lives nearby in a care home because she now suffers from Alzheimer's and needs 24 hour attention. One of my family's old friends who knew Stella in China was visiting the UK and came to speak with her and greeted her in Cantonese. She happily chatted away to the Rev Prof Lo Lung Kwong in Cantonese for the rest of lunch. Isn't it extraordinary that she can't remember who anyone is but she can easily talk to someone in a language she hasn't spoken for twenty years.

Not an entry. I just wanted to share a little about the wonders of the human spirit.

Paul

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a great story Paul, it's true humans are remarkable creatures. Thankyou for sharing that with me and for your well wishes.


arizonaranchman said:
I sure did enjoy your story about your encounter with Henry. What a touching and special moment. Now to hear this I must admit I'm stunned and saddened. It was so very nice of his wife to reply to you and inform you of this. It's also very touching to hear just how special that moment was to HENRY also. Obviously it was far more meaningful to him than you realized at the time.

That knife will now hold far more meaning that it already did. Every time you take it out of your pocket you'll be transported back to that hour on that day many years ago... Bless him and you for that moment that we all here have been moved by also.

What a great tribute to Henry - to do a GAW of an identical Tinker to the one he gave you. :thumbup: :thumbup:
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It's true I had no idea it had meant so much to him. I'm grateful I got to meet him and I'm glad I got to share the story with those who understand what friendship truly is.

Thankyou everyone for your replies, it warms my heart to see so many people have been touched by my little story. Henry truly was a great man and left me with a fond memory and several life lessons I shall carry with me.
 
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So sorry to hear man! I'm glad that you met him though! Not much to life besides the encounters we have.
 
Not an entry but did want to say sorry for your loss of a good friend as in life you are blessed if you only have one or two
"real" friends and you will remember him the rest of your life and remember what brightness he brought into your life in the short time you got to know him.!
You will see him again you know.* God Bless.
 
Sam, my condolences and sympathy in the lost of your new friend. Seems like your friendship with Henry would have only grown as time went by. From the sound of it you were responsible for plenty of good feelings and happiness in his life at the time.

This is not an entry. I don't have a joke, but a funny story that I always like to tell. About 15 years ago there was a young man who volunteered to help coach my son's high school club lacrosse team. He was a veteran of the Navy, a graduate of the US Naval Academy, and a naval aviator. He told me the story about when he was traveling, as a newly commissioned ensign, to flight school at the end of the summer after his graduation from Annapolis. He was at National Airport, now Ronald Reagan Airport, outside of Washington, DC. He went into a snack bar to get something to eat before his flight. After picking up his food, he searched for a place to sit, and as fate would have it, the only seat available was opposite a Marine colonel. He excused himself and asked the colonel if he could join him. The colonel nodded and the young man sat down. They both ate and drank in silence, but every time the young man ate an Oreo cookie from the pack on the table the colonel got madder and madder. By the time all the cookies were gone, the colonel abruptly stood up, gather his things, and walked away in a huff. Never said good bye, good luck, go to hell, nothing. The young ensign sat there, trying to figure out what went wrong and somewhat worried that he apparently pissed of a Marine colonel. Then it came to him, the cookies he was eating weren't his, the were the colonel's!
 
I'm in.


I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Never met the guy, but he sounds like a good friend. One of my dad's old coworkers suffered a heart attack on a plane and didn't survive. I barely knew him at the time, (13 years old when it happened), but it still saddened me because of how nice he was to me and my brothers.
 
That's too bad. I enjoyed your thread. "I'm in" in honor of Henry and your homage to him.
 
Sam,

That was powerful story. I read it to my wife immediately. I have a dear friend who is like a brother to me and has been through more than his share in the last 25 years. Your story made me think of how important he is and how our friendship started much the way yours did with Henry. I almost lost him last year.
I'm going to say this and maybe I'm out of line. I don't know. I'm speaking from the heart which was just moved by reading your powerful story.

I AM IN for the GAW, with one caveat. If by some chance I win, I'll find a young lad that I seem to meet all the time at the local gun and knife shows who is in need of a knife (and more than likely doesn't have one, or doesn't have a quality one) and give it to him along with our stories of friends and how knives can mean so much to people.

Thanks again for the great GAW and more importantly for sharing your brief friendship with Henry.

I love traditionals and the one word that describes why is the word "soul". The soul in them comes from stories like yours and the history of the men that make them happen. History, and life are in the steel of a traditional, especially one with a story and the 'soul' of a wonderful man.
 
Very sorry to hear about Henry. Your original story really moved me with the way a instant friendship was made over a old knife. Every time you use that knife from here on out you will think of him, and in a way he will live on through your memories no matter how brief of a time you shared together.

Not an entry, but I have a box full of SAK's and in Henry's memory and with his style I am going to dig a few out to keep in my truck. When I see an opportunity to gift one to a deserving/needing individual I am going to do just that.

Raise a glass.


****EDIT*****

Look at what I found in the box. A quick sharpen and some oil and this will find be finding a new home.

 
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Maverick299 said:
Very sorry to hear about Henry. Your original story really moved me with the way a instant friendship was made over a old knife. Every time you use that knife from here on out you will think of him, and in a way he will live on through your memories no matter how brief of a time you shared together.

Not an entry, but I have a box full of SAK's and in Henry's memory and with his style I am going to dig a few out to keep in my truck. When I see an opportunity to gift one to a deserving/needing individual I am going to do just that.

Raise a glass.


****EDIT*****

Look at what I found in the box. A quick sharpen and some oil and this will find be finding a new home.

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Wow that box is SAK-tacular! And that is the very knife! I'm glad it will find it's way to a new home where I'm sure it will be well cared for. Thankyou!
 
Raptor,

I see a parade of heartfelt responses from people saying,

Not an entry.
Not an entry.
Not an entry.
Not an entry.

No fault of yours. Quite the contrary. But…

I don’t think your give away is a success.

I do think this is an astonishing subforum.
 
Raymond1000 said:
Raptor,

I see a parade of heartfelt responses from people saying,

Not an entry.
Not an entry.
Not an entry.
Not an entry.

No fault of yours. Quite the contrary. But…

I don’t think your give away is a success.

I do think this is an astonishing subforum.
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I think you're correct, everyone here is so generous and humble, I was worried up until a couple of them actually entered. At the end of the day I wanted to give something to the people who had given so much to me in memory of a good man. If they don't think they would appreciate it as much, that is just fine. I'm sure everyone myself included wants to see it go to a worthy person.

Though I would say of the many members here, they are all worthy of generosity, as karma for the generosity they show so regularly.
 
I think the word you are looking for is SPECSAKULAR:).
many moons ago I was attached to Ashfield Fire Station in Sydneys inner western suburbs.
I rented a unit nearby with my GF. I would walk to work mostly. I would pass by an old house with a verandah and an old bloke with both legs missing would be sitting there soaking up the sun.After a few times he would see me coming and we would say Gday and have a bit of a chinwag for five minutes. Usually about the footy or a fire. I learned that he was an old Digger (Soldier in this case WW2 veteran ). One day he beckoned me close as if to impart a great secret. He asked if I ever went to the pub up on the highway. I said I didn't and he was a bit crestfallen. So I asked him if he needed me to get him anything from the Bottlo (liquor shop attached to pub). This cheered him up immensely and he said he knew I was on the right wavelength but don't let the missus find out. He wasn't supposed to drink. Bloody doctors what would they know? He foisted a tenner into my hand and mentioned "the black" which is black beer or "old". Six pack or long necks was my question. 2 "king browns" mate was the order. Don't want the wife to know. Although I think she was well aware of our underhanded dealings after a bout the second day.She let it ride and would also say Gday to me in a way that told me she knew exactly what we were up to but it was a OK.
He'd lost his legs in a car smash in the 50's and they couldn't be saved. There were times when his funds weren't on hand but I used to get his beers anyway and say pay me after.
He had some great wisdoms that I haven't forgotten-always carry a box of matches or a lighter. Saddest and most memorable was his attitude to the war and war in general-Be here when they march off and wave 'em ta -rah(goodbye) and you 'll be here when they march back. I think a lot of his mates had lost their lives in WW2.
One day when I went past he wasn't there.
On the way home I picked up a couple of king browns for him and as I was putting them in the hiding spot behind his flowerpots the missus came out and told me he'd passed away silly old bugger.So you might as well drink those beers for him Jon-making it obvious that she'd known all along.She proffered a big paper shopping bag -remember the old supermarket ones? He said to give you these.
I offered my sympathies and took the bag . What else could I do? It had some old hats- a pork pie style Akubra,a couple of grubby old caps and in a plastic bag his Slouch hat from the army.It was a bit moth eaten and sun faded and the head band was smothered in years of accumulated brylcreme. It fitted so I kept it in my car.Unfortunately a couple of years later some prick broke into my car and pinched everything including the hat.
That was nearly 30 years ago.
His name was George.
RIP old mate.
tell you what my eyes filled up typing that.

Q-What's brown and sticky?
A-A stick.
 
Man, I just got round to reading this thread. Of course, I recall your first one on the man. What a sad
state. I am sorry for your loss, my friend. How sweet of his wife to mail you as she did.
 
Great story also Meako. A little time spent stopping along the way to share a moment with someone else and learn about their life and world. These small moments are often the most meaningful when you look back.
 
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