Sitting around the glass patio table, this past Saturday, while we were laughing, drinking, talking..something strange happened. We were transported back some 40 years ago to a time which we now refer to as the "good ole days". We sensed the feeling of timelessness that only comes with bona fide friendships. Reminiscing about dating and weddings and babies being born, made us nod our heads in agreement. "Hell! We've known each other longer than our kids have been alive!"
We thought of this for a few seconds or so; until more beers were served. It's an amazing thing; friendships that endure time. Because with time, as we all darn well know, come hardaches, disappointments and struggles. If time were sheer blissfulness, we would expect nothing other than sustaining all relationships which are formed in our lifetime. But because we know better, we are weary about how true and how long, a new friendship might last.
I have been blessed with many beautiful friends. But I would like to tell you about one which I share with my dear friend Nancy. She and I became friends in 7th grade at Ditmas Junior High School. Our days included walking to and from school, eating lunch together and hanging out every summer night, after the dinner dishes were washed and put away. (Hey, our moms was strict! ) We remained close friends from being "twirlers" at Ditmas to "boosters" at Erasmus Hall. After graduating from Erasmus, (RFK was our guest speaker at graduation) we went our separate ways. Sadly, we did not keep in touch. (No fight; just many different people and new experiences drifted us apart.) I feel regret that that happened.
When I went to my 30th high school reunion, (yes, folks, I am not as young as you first thought) there she was..Nancy..as pretty as I had remembered her! I was delighted to see all of my high school friends, but when Nancy said she was living in Wantagh..OMG!!! it was if she were saying to me.. "there is NO reason we cannot rekindle our friendship." That is exactly what we have done! Nancy is my "oldest" friend. If you subtract the years in between, when we were apart, perhaps she is not..but I want to use her as an example of what true friendship feels like.
It is unconditional love. She did not reprimand me for having "left her". I did not boast of things I did without her. We were able to pick up as if it were yesterday. We were happy to hear of each other's journey. After a few visits, we have now caught up in our lives and it feels like she and I were never really, ever, apart. That is what a true friendship feels like. No time, no distance, no circumstance can break the bond of a true love between friends.
If this little blog has made you reflect upon your friendships with certain people, I think today would be a great time to reach out and call them!! How happy they'll be to hear from you!
I want to give a shout out to my other sweet high school girl friend Patty A., whom I met in grade 10, and to my college sorority sister Adriane G. whom I met at St. John's U. I love you, both..and because of you, both, I have felt the trans formative power of love! Time cannot destroy it, ever!
Peace.
