So, my day started off with the usual; cup of tea, couple of hours of computer work, bill paying etc... I was in my "somber/reflective without being too somber and reflective mood" which is ok.. that is until I came in contact with the rudest customer service agent that I've ever met in my life. Peoplel can be really terrible...realy, really terrible. His name was Allen, though I suspect from the heavy accent that it want his real name... but it was terrible. I cannot imagine what would possess a person to be so....terrible. The entire experience was so terrible that I actually made me cry, though I do admit it doesn't take much to make me do that lately, but still....terrible! Anyway, what's my point... I read a quote by Philo, it said "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." I know it sounds very 'Oprah-esqe', but it it really that difficult to be nice? Does it really require THAT much additional effort? Maybe... I don't know. But I do know that I let this one negative expereince effected much of my day. I, of couse, started thinking about stuff like "if E was here I wouldn't have had to do that" or "if E was here, he would have done this"... just really going down an unproductive road. But God, intervened just when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed as I drove along the parking lot that is the 405. I was in a very bad way when my phone rang...I saw the 323 area code (I always answer 323 area codes) so I pick up and it’s Emily the commercial agent from ACME. She was very upbeat and was soooo nice. She was like "Hi, I'm your new commercial agent!" She said she was sorry that we didn't get a chance to meet while I was there. I told her I was sorry to miss her, but I'd heard a lot about her. Then she said, "I've heard a lot about YOU!" How awesome is that!! She said she's going out of town for a few weeks but that Matt and Brian would work hard on sending me out for commercials :) and then we'd meet up when she gets back next month. Great woman, great talk, great agency... I am very lucky. Thank you God for this call at this moment...I am humbled by your strong presence in my life. Thank you E for being my cheering section in heaven...I know you are with me.

Later that night.... Got a call from my friend Malik in Chicago. Another very nice conversation. We don't talk as often as we use to. I've noticed that sometimes after you go through a situation like mine, often people distance themselves a little b/c they don't know what to say or they wanna give you time to deal with things in your own personal way... which makes sense I guess. Anyway, I told him about the agent and commercial and stuff and he was really excited for me. Then I told him how it was kinda bittersweet and he said so many encouraging things. I think I was having issues because I felt like people were telling me to "let it go and move on", but he talked more in terms of 'keeping him alive' and 'feeling his presence', which was really cool. He was even like...you never know, great things are happening for you so fast, maybe E's with you, like your guardian angel... Which made me cry, but not from sadness...tears of joy. As we got off the phone, I realized how much we had both managed to encourage each other. He was encouraged by my accomplishments, because he knows if I can do he can do it (whatever your "it" is, YOU can do it, too), and I was encouraged by his words of wisdom and his excitement. I can't help but think that THIS is what we are supposed to do for one another! Encourage, not discourage (you hear that Allen!). "Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves" - James Barrie