Old Friends

As my daughter prepares for a visit from her best friend of 23 years, i think of the good fortune i have in several old friends. my twitter response was that old friends are a treasure beyond measure, and i believe it is so true.

Four come to mind: Nancy, Carol, Nita and JoAnne. If I total the number of years that I have been best friends with each of them, it comes to 151, if you can imagine such a thing! I was 13 when i met carol at summer baptist camp unami, so there's 53 years right there! And, nita and i were writing 12 page letters to each other when postage was 5 cents! (now we email) joanne moved to hawaii but when she returned to arizona and called me, we spoke like it had only been a week or so since our last contact. and nancy, well, she sums up everything precious that the word "dear" could possibly mean!

one of my early childhood memories is when my mother recognized that i had trouble remembering how to spell the word "friend." she said, "always remember that true friends are friends to the end, and you'll find the word end at the end of friend." (that's probably why i have ever since used "association learning" to help me recall things. it has served me well, even tho it sometimes takes 3 steps to put 1 in place; it works for me.) o my; friends to the end--how true and wonderful!

my "new best friend" of 10 years is my husband. we so enjoy each other's company, act silly together and laugh til the tears roll, share our thoughts and appreciate each other. he TELLS me regularly how appreciative he is, of all i do, big or small. he makes the mundane (like grocery shopping), FUN when we do it together. he can decipher in minutes, sometimes seconds, if something is bothering me. and he tells me "Happy Anniversary" on a monthly basis, like today, for instance. Quite special, he is, and I sure do love him! Friends to the end; thank you, Mom!