Slice of Life: The Gift of Friendship

Yesterday, I had coffee with a friend. This is something I do with some regularity with a few close friends. But, yesterday was different. I had not seen this friend in several years.

This person is one of those people with whom I am very fortunate to be able to pick right up where we left off. The conversation was easy, it always has been. Enough is known about each other and our families that we knew what each other was talking about without a great deal of explanation about character, mannerisms, or personality.  Catching up was easy.

We’ve known each other for almost twenty years!  In 2000, we met when our sons were in the same kindergarten class. Neither of us was native to the town in which we found ourselves living.  We shared a love of gardening. When I needed help with my garden club lessons or fundraisers, she was there. When we needed someone to watch our second son the day our third son was born, she gladly did it. For a while, we even went to church together. She was, and is, someone I can count on.

My friend is full of energy! Over the years, she ran garage sales at her house and allowed me to piggyback onto those days. It was fun and fruitful – much better for both of us (I hope) than doing it alone. She revamped gardens, put new gardens in, and shared plants with me as she dug and divided her perennials.  I shared apples from our fruit trees with her and brought her a mum after she had surgery.

Looking back, we had a great friendship. About six years ago, she moved to Florida. Her children were done with school and it was time for my friend and her husband to have new adventures. As you know, Florida is not near Wisconsin, so we have not seen each other in recent years. However, we’ve been able to keep in touch through FaceBook. It is one of the best benefits of social media!  It also makes for easy conversation starters (not that we needed these).

So, yesterday, after not seeing my friend in person for many years, we met for coffee!

She had let me know she was going to be in town and wanted to know if we could get together!  What a gift this was! We hugged and chatted, catching up on our families and kids. Our parents, come to find out, are the same age and starting to decline in health. So, there were tales of medical system faux pas and concerns related to aging parents living far from our states of residence.

There were stories about trips and travel, as my friend is a seasoned traveler.  It was an opportunity for me to pick her brain about places to visit.

It is wonderful to have friends with whom you can pick up right from where you left off. Years melt away and the camaraderie is there sustaining the friendship, as it always was. Neither of us is there to impress, control or bully through our conversation. We simply enjoy each other’s company and accept one another for who we are!

Yesterday, I received a gift of renewed friendship. It was wonderful.

 

Today is Slice of Life Tuesday. This is a wonderful, supportive forum brought to us by TwoWritingTeachers.org   Thank you for hosting this community of writers and authors, allowing us to share our thoughts and words in a supportive, nurturing space.