The corner stool

The corner stool at "Boone's Restaurant" sits empty. For years, Kenny Wells walked in the door at approximately 6:45 a.m. to have his morning coffee. His son, Duane, would have already been there for about an hour, drinking coffee and working on a crossword puzzle. Some of the rest of us would chip in with what we thought were some answers. The often voiced comment was, "Wait until Kenny gets here; he will fill in the blanks."

I believe the way most of us saw him was a kind, gentle man who could fix almost anything.

He used the coffee time to connect with his friends and his sons, Duane and Steve, but, most of all, his gentle presence and his reluctance to speak ill of anyone set an example for all of us.

The suddenness of his passing is a wake up call for us. What he left behind was an example of caring for his family and for doing quality work.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works," and, in Kenny's case, his light was there for all to see.