Friendships

An hours gab, now that is a friend. Helen and I go back at least thirty years with time and space between us a lot of the time. She had started to write a letter but thought she would rather have a gab session so she could tell me all about her recent trip to visit her niece in Colorado. She and her daughter had a wonderful time sight seeing, visiting and attending a special play that made them laugh out loud. Helen was a bit wary of traveling this year, being a fellow octogenarian, but her daughter persuaded her to go - one more time - and now she is very glad she did. We commiserated over the aching muscles and the time it will take to regroup, but the memories have already started her on the road to recovery. We decided one day at a time is a good thing and we cannot resolve all the ills of this world which has become strange and wondrous as it speeds on a time line we can't keep up with in this tortoise and hare race; whoever thought we'd be a tortoise . . . wonders never cease as we continue to creep along.



Son Michael's friend, John, called to say hello. He injured his knee and had to elevate his leg so kept himself busy cleaning out a box of papers and found an old telephone book with my name and number. A truly pleasant surprise as he told the news of the old 'gang' and what happened to them. A lot of living, some of it very hard, and so many changes. The young hippies have become older, wiser and busy teaching their young from the remembered lectures of the old folks, you know the ones we thought they were not listening to . . . but, they heard every word and the children are looking at them as if they lost their minds. Pay back is hell. With luck he will keep his promise and stop and pick up Mike and come for the spaghetti dinner I promised.

I traveled through the art museums of the world via an e mail attachment today thanks to my friend John (seem to know a few named John) and it was fabulous. The architecture, the lighting, the cities themselves all incredible. Only the outside of the buildings were shown, but my imagination went into outer space knowing they house some of the world's most famous and best art work in the world and I wanted to pack my bags and go and view them all.

At lunch time Joyce stopped by, one of the ladies from my old writers group. She is a delight and has just finished moving into a temporary house way up river near the town of Agnes. She and her husband will be there for a couple of months before traveling on to Ecuador, and they may decide to stay there for awhile. They are in their seventies, in good health and have a sense of adventure I haven't seen in a long while. They will be missed as they participate in a lot of the local community activities from being a part of the beach party clean up to playing docent at the new Campanile in Azalea Park. I will miss our tea breaks as they drop in when they take a walk in my neighborhood.

My latest e mail today was from a 'young' friend, granddaughter of old friends who died a few years ago. She tells me she has just been put on medication similar to chemo in which she has to give herself a shot twice a day. No details, but cancer comes to mind, so I'm lighting a candle and hope you will offer up a prayer for a young lady named Chris.

So new and old friends, young and old, make my world a better place. I hope you reach out to your friends and tell them how much you love them. I hope you are listening my friends....I love you.