Act 3 - Supporting an Old Friend

Jeff Connors is one of my oldest friends.  Jeff and I experienced elementary school at Most Precious Blood in Angola, NY from Kindergarten through the Eight grade together.  His family owns Connors Hot Dog Stand, ever heard of it?  Yeah, that’s right.  Angola is pretty much the place to be in the summer and it’s definitely the place to be from.  But this isn’t a blog about my hometown, I am writing about helping a good friend.  When Jeff and I were in school, I remember that when asked what he wanted to be, he always said that he wanted to be a teacher.  When asked the same question, I said that I wanted to be a pilot.  Jeff is an English teacher at Lake Shore, and I am not a pilot.  He knew.  This path wasn’t revealed to me until high school.  Jeff always knew.  I get a sense of pride when I read about what he’s doing at Lake Shore or when I hear about how much his students love him or how hard he works.  I’m proud to call Jeff a friend.  Even though we don’t speak as often as we used to as distance, careers, and family have rearranged priorities a bit, he never fails to send correspondence after the birth of a child and he always checks in.  This year, Lake Shore senior high school is presenting Les Miserables.  Each year, my parents (both Lake Shore alums) receive a flyer from the musical department asking for patronage.  This year, Mrs. Currin and I decided to donate.  No act is selfless because doing something nice usually feels pretty good and it’s nice to donate to the arts while nurturing one of my longest lasting relationships.