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Sometimes, all it takes is recognizing a good thing.

The risk of developing myocarditis – an inflammation of the heart muscle – following a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is low, according to new research from Israel.

It feels today as if inflation is everywhere. You read about inflation in the paper, hear about it on the news and feel it in your pocketbook. Just this week, Sept. 21, the feds raised rates the highest its been since the global financial crisis in 2008. In other words, rising inflation is i…

An unveiling for Mania Horn, who died Nov. 30, 2020, will take place at 1 p.m. Oct. 2 at Zion Memorial Park, 5461 Northfield Road, Bedford Heights.

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L’Shanah Tova is a beautiful greeting for the Jewish new year.

It sounds like a prayer: “May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a sweet new year.”

The Book of Life closed on my friend Ed last week. His big, beautiful heart gave out on Sept. 15 and broke the hearts of all who loved him. I hope his life will inspire you to live yours more fully and deeply.

Ed Rafferty lived a sweet life that blessed all those he touched. He was my friend for over four decades. His death surprised and stunned all who knew him. He was a pillar in the recovery community, one we never expected to fall.

His obituary listed his occupation as a heavy equipment operator for the city of Ravenna. That’s just what he did to pay the rent. That wasn’t his mission in life.

His mission in life was to save lives. In his 43 years of sobriety, he saved countless lives, including mine. His mission was to help alcoholics and addicts who wanted a new way of life. Ed was the doorway to the new life. If there really is a Book of Life, Ed helped people turn the page to start a new chapter, to write a new beginning and to create a happily ever after for their families.

He always called me sweetie and served as my guardian angel, protecting me from myself when I was in my late 20s and dating men who didn’t respect me. Ed, who was faithfully married, was the big brother who knew I deserved better before I did.

As the decades of our friendship evolved, every time I asked, “Ed, how are you?” he answered, “I’m old.” He wasn’t putting himself down. He believed aging was just another word for living and he was grateful for every day sobriety gave him.

After he died at age 75, I read all his Facebook posts and laughed so hard, I cried harder than I had cried over losing him.

Gems like: “I walk around like everything is fine, but deep down, inside my shoe, my sock is falling off … People are so judgmental, I can tell by looking at them … If you wait long enough to cook breakfast, everyone will eat cereal. Follow me for more cooking tips.”

Ed was a great cook. His dad died young, in his 50s, from heart disease. Ed knew his days, too, might be numbered because of bad genetics. After his first heart incident, Ed changed his entire life. He became a vegan and lost tons of weight. He took up meditation and even did a retreat with the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. “It was a life changing experience for this old drunk,” he wrote.

Ed was serious when it mattered most and the king of corny jokes the rest of the time. He loved making people laugh with these quotes:

“The divorce rate among my socks is astonishing … I don’t always roll a joint. But when I do, it’s my ankle … I hate it when people try to act all intelligent and talk about Mozart when they have never even seen one of his paintings … Time to get up and get going. Today’s bad decisions aren’t going to make themselves.”

He also posted serious sayings: “You were born an original, don’t die a copy … You don’t always have to tell your side of the story. Time will.”

There was so much recovery tucked into the wisdom he quoted: “Trying to hurt me by bringing up my past is like trying to rob my old house. I don’t live there anymore … Be the type of person that leaves a mark, not a scar … Heal so you don’t hurt people who didn’t hurt you.”

He jokingly referred to his wife as “my higher power.” He loved calling her “My Melanie” and his daughter, “My Amy.” He didn’t just love them; he cherished them.

Sobriety gave him so many gifts he wanted us all to have: “Addiction is when you give up everything for one thing. Recovery is when you give up one thing for everything.”

Ed gained everything when he quit drinking: The love of his wife, his children, his grandchildren and countless friends.

Aging didn’t bother him. He knew it was a gift denied many. “If you think that life is too short, do something about it.”

Ed did something about it.

He extended his life as long as he could, but it was still too short for all of us who loved him.

Connect with Regina Brett on Facebook at ReginaBrettFans and sign up for her weekly newsletter at reginabrett.com.

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