FRIENDS

This week I lost an old friend.  We grew up across the street from each other in a small town in the Panhandle of Texas.  She was several years older, and I idolized her.  I loved spending an occasional hour or so in her room while her other friends were there.  Their discussions about boys, school, make-up, boys, school, boys and boys fascinated me! Did I mention that boys were the main topic of conversation? These girls were popular in their class, and I wanted to be like them so much.  My friend always accepted me into her home and treated me like one of her close friends. I never achieved any kind of popularity, nor did I date much in high school, but living vicariously through them before they graduated and left our little town filled me with moments of joy.  We reconnected via Facebook several years ago. I warned her that I was no longer that quiet little girl and that my posts were often very political, especially in the liberal/progressive realm.  She was okay with that, ignored my political posts, and often commented positively when I posted pictures from hikes, my grandchildren, or my dog. Her childhood memory was that we spent many hours laughing and talking.  I liked her recollection of our childhood better, as she obviously viewed us as equals.  She wanted me to attend last year's high school reunion, but I declined since I still lived in Seattle, but I planned to attend my 50-year reunion in 2018.  I thought there would be plenty of opportunities to see each other then.  In January of this year, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.  I contacted her when I heard about it and talked to her as late as last week.  In her usual positive way of viewing things, she said this was her life now and that she was okay with it.  I never dreamed that she would die a few days later and that we'll never have the chance to 'catch up' with each other face to face.  I'm sorry I didn't get to see her one more time.  I miss her sweet, sweet soul.

But, that's what life is like for those of us over 60.  We start losing our friends and family at a faster rate.  Time doesn't wait for us to catch up.

On the very day I learned of my friend's death, friends that I knew from many years ago contacted me and wanted to meet me for lunch this weekend.  We've known each other for close to 40 years, but I had not been back to Grand Prairie to see them in over 10 years.  Their businesses prohibit them from doing much traveling, so it was up to me to go the extra thousand miles or so to make sure we kept in physical contact.  However, I didn't make that a priority because I was always too busy with work and seeing my family (or the world) when I had time off.  We were very close friends at one time, but even if time passes by, you still love who you love. We went to the same church, enjoyed long bike rides, and were politically active (he was the mayor at one time). They are my daughter's godparents. Yesterday, we had lunch and spent the afternoon drinking wine and reminiscing on my patio.  I'm sure our laughter reached my neighbor's houses, but we didn't care.  Periodically, I would cry from the sheer joy of reconnecting with them again.

Life is literally beginning to slip away.  I don't want to waste a minute not being with the people I love.