treasures

Yesterday was a grey day.

Not always do I feel that blue, but Dea nailed it when she talked to me later. “Dad, you never did do well in winter.”

I once took up cross country skiing so I’d have something to look forward to during the winter, then we moved to Texas for 5 years where skiing is not a big local sport (Texans fly to Colorado to ski).

But yesterday afternoon, after a dinner together with Emily and Miriam (a decent meal if I did prepare it), we spent some hours with our closest friends. These are church friends, and we hang out together a fair amount.

I have known some of these people for most of my life, Lloyd once said he knew me better than I knew myself. At 82, he is our senior, and he was most likely right.

As we sat and talked back and forth last evening I was overpowered by the importance of good friends.

In our moving culture, it is hard to make good friends, but one of the closest friends I have ever had goes back to our relatively short time in Texas. I guess I am painfully aware that it takes times to collect a bunch of really good friends.

Not sure I am smart enough to explain it all, not sure I really understand the dynamics of it all, but I revel in my friendships.

That includes the half dozen really close friends I have (Miriam has always been my best friend), the 15 or 20 good friends, and another layer of people I have good feelings about.

And, of course, that brings me back to loss. I lost Jim this last week. He was a good friend. Lloyd is 82, others in my group of friends have of health issues. No one can guarantee anything.

I could avoid all risks of having my heart ton out when I loose a friend, but I think the loss is over powered by the wonderful memories of these times.

I will loose Miriam one day, the prophecy has been made by our doctors, but I will forever remember the joy of our friendship and love-ship.