I once read a cute little poem on a friend’s refrigerator magnet that made grandiose statements in a simplistic verse about the various people who enter and leave our lives. The poem discussed the idea that each person holds a significant purpose to aide our journey in some form or another and that once their purpose has been served they often exit our lives—some might re-enter, but others may never. The poem also made the distinction that some of the people in our lives will never leave until death separates us.
My life personally has been marked by many who enter and leave again; in my opinion far too soon. My father and first husband both were military men who moved to new duty locations whenever Uncle Sam decided they were needed elsewhere. As a result I gained friends and lost them again more than I care to recall. Although I have loved every location I’ve lived, loosing friends has never settled well with me since I am a person who tends to friend for life.
Today I had the joyous opportunity to re-unite with a friend who has been a very dear part of my life. It was a privilege for me to re-connect with her and share a discussion of the paths our lives have taken during these past six years.
She is someone with whom I felt a very real and deep fondness for almost as soon as I met her, and I am so excited about the renewed opportunity of our awakened friendship and am eager to watch our journey unfold within our lives and hearts.
I am certain that our talks during the near future will un-earth many new insights for us both, but I couldn’t help thinking during the course of our five hour telephone visit about how happy I am to have found her again, and about how proud of her I am for the road she has taken as she walks her journey through life.
We laughed with each other as we reminisced about some of our good old times, our crazy antics, and even the men we dated. We cried with each other over having lost contact and shed happy tears over regaining it again.
The years during our close friendship have been some of my fondest memories, and one of my deepest heartaches has been losing contact with her. I thought she was gone forever, but still she had remained a very real part of my heart, my thoughts, and my life. I am so very grateful to have her with me again.
I had felt during our time apart that our journey together as friends had not concluded, and I was grieved for our premature loss. After finding her now I finally see the wisdom in that little poem I read on that refrigerator magnet so many years ago.
Dear One, I raise my glass to you and offer this toast… “Welcome home my friend, welcome home.”
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The Dictionary defines friendship as: An attachment between people who share an intimate association with each other through a deep and genuine fondness of one another.
Blue Jeans and Chocolate 