Enliven Daily

“Until we meet again, may God bless you as he has blessed me.”

Do you ever wonder why your path crosses that of others in your life?  I do.  But I truly believe that we are meant to meet so many different people and always be thankful that we do.  That happened to me this past Friday night as a few friends and I went to another buddy’s liquor store for a wine tasting event.  Our buddy told us Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins would be there which sounded cool but I mainly went to taste some wine and do some shopping.  We got there a little early so we decided to go next door to Bobby C’s restaurant for a few bites and a cocktail (ok a few cocktails and a bite).

The restaurant was excellent as it was hopping and we had some great appetizers, a few drinks and great conversation among friends.  About a half hour after we arrived, an elderly gentleman sat next to me at the bar and it was clear he goes to Bobby C’s often as every worker there knew him and said hello.  We introduced ourselves, got to talking and he was just one of the nicest people you could ever meet.  Our bartender, Adam I think his name was, told me that my new friend Jim just turned 100 years old.  (Click Here) to meet him.

Jim told me stories about growing up in Melrose and being the mayor there.  He also told me he still drives, which normally would make me nervous but based on how good of shape he was in, I felt better with him on the roads than many people half his age.  We spent a good 2+ hours here and my friends and I ate and were merry (as I was not driving) and in the spirit of Christmas, I wanted to treat my new friend to dinner.  Mayor Jim tried to refuse me but that is never easy when my mind is made up so he accepted but told me that my wife and I must come visit him at St. Mary’s Church and the next dinner is on him.  I told him I would be taking him up on it.

Then we went to wine tasting (which already ended but we did do our shopping) and Milan Lucic was still there so we hung out with him and his gorgeous girlfriend for a little while and this guy could not have been more down to earth.  I asked Milan if he would call my oldest son at home to say hello and he readily agreed.  He and Trevor talked for a few minutes and when I got home that night, I knew I made Trevor’s night; mainly because his little brother was not home at the time and told us how envious he was that Trevor got to talk to a “professional athlete”.

With all respects to Milan, the highlight of my night was meeting and talking to Jim Milano.  We meet so many people in the course of our life and should always be thankful when we meet certain ones.  And just as I typed this, I realized that I met a 100 year old man named “Milano” the same night I met a 21 year-old named “Milan”. And you wonder why I always think paths cross for a reason?  I just wish I said goodbye like our opening quote from Elvis – that would have been a cool line with Jim; not sure how Milan would have responded.