One of the bright spots from last week was a lovely dinner with some of the dearest friends that I have. I don’t see any of them often anymore, but they’re an important part of my life nonetheless. I’ve spent some very enjoyable time this week thinking about the connections between us and retracing the development of our bond over the years. This annual event is a big part of that bond.
It is interesting to me how friendships change throughout life. Some friends I thought I would have forever have become just good memories and the occasional Christmas card. Other friends have found tenacious footholds in my life and stayed in spite of major challenges of time, distance, and differences in personality or lifestyle. Old friends are back in my life thanks to technology like facebook and blogging. And of course there are new friends all the time, so the journey of friendship is never quite complete. All’s the better for that.
Often, friends that come to mean the most are the ones who have one of my missing pieces. These are the folks who have something I need to learn. Either that or they help me become better by refining my strengths or tempering my weaknesses.
When I think about my dinner companions from last week, there is someone in each of these categories. It was a sweet thing to be able to spend some precious time with them.
My Red Door Days 