I have been fortunate, my whole life, to be blessed with wonderful friends. I have friends from my childhood, first marriage & second marriage. Friends that I've made during my working life and during retirement. Webster's definition of "friend" is "1 a. One attached to another by affection or esteem; b. acquaintence; 2 a. One that is not hostile; b. one that is of the same nation, party or group; 3 a. a favored companion".
As I look at these definitions I find that the best part of being and having a friend, is missing.
Every friend I've ever had, that I can still call my friend has lived up to "I'm here for you".
There's a story about friendship that I'd like to share with you.
Approximately forty six years ago (during my first marriage), when my daughter was almost 5 months old, we were living in an apartment. After a short time living there a young couple, our age, moved in and would be expecting there first child shortly thereafter. We struck up a friendship. We became so close that one night, around 3am, there was a knock on our adjoining bedroom wall. What I heard still makes me laugh to this day, "J's water broke. We're on our way to the hospital".
During the next 16 years we had each moved to different areas of New York. But, we maintained a great friendship. During my separation and subsequent divorce and remarriage, all contact was lost. Neither one of us, as we found out later, ever really understood why.
Jumping ahead to 2010, I received a call from my sister that a friend of hers was in a nail salon and struck up a conversation with a woman. During that conversation, it became evident that this woman was my friend from so many years ago. Without boring you further with minute details. I got her number and email address. I emailed her and she very quickly returned in kind. We spoke, we questioned what happened all those years ago that caused us to lose the wonderful friendship we had, then set a date for that weekend to meet for dinner with our spouses. The meeting was amazing. It was greeted with smiles, tears, and hugs. The best part is that to this day we have brought each other up to date with what has transpired in each of our lives over the 26 years of separation. We see each other as often as possible and the most amazing thing is that we each live in Florida, as snowbirds, about 45 minutes away.
That, ladies and gentleman, is friendship.
Then there are the friends you've had since childhood. I have one of those. No matter where we have lived, and we have lived very far apart, we have maintained more than a friendship, we have been as close as sisters. There have been times that due to where our lives have taken us, we would talk on the phone (yes, phone. There were no emails "back then"), sometimes once a month, sometimes once a year. But I always knew, as I hope she always knew, if we needed each other we'd be there in a flash.
I have been so lucky to be able to say that I have "old" friends, "new" friends and friends yet to come into my life. The one friend I have not talked about yet is my oldest friend. One I've had my entire life. While we don't always see eye to eye and have very different lifestyles and ideas, this friend is someone I can call (and have done so) at any time, ask the most ridiculous questions (have done that too), laugh with, cry with and always know she'd drop everything to be there for me, my sister.
To all my wonderful friends, Thank You, for always being there.
Until next time......
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