Note: The names in this
piece have been changed to preserve confidentiality among my friends
and me.
On this final day of
October here in Minnesota, it was pitch dark at 7 a.m. Minutes ago,
however, the sun broke through, and our predicted high for today is
in the fifties. We've had a few potentially nice days lately with
sunshine and blue skies, but the wind nearly swept me away a couple
of times when I succumbed to the impulse to go out and get some
Vitamin D.
The good thing about
Minnesota weather is that it can at least temporarily distract you
from whatever else is going on in your life; for example, a good
friend, Jacqueline, who has lived in my apartment building for a
couple of years, up and moved away recently. A few days before her
departure, she and I bumped into each other down in the garage, and
we enjoyed chatting for a few minutes. I remarked, “We won't be
able to enjoy these impromptu visits much longer.”
So it is with lingering
sadness that I compose this piece to post on Katalusis today.
Jackie and I were visiting
with my friend Meghan a few days ago, who reminded my departing
friend and me that we could stay in touch via phone, email, and
letters. Well, I know from experience how that goes. My friends Beth
in Chicago and Marilyn in Florida do stay in touch once in a great
while, but it's been years since I've seen either of them.
The thought crossed my
mind this morning that my sadness for my long distance friends is
cumulative. My family moved around a lot when I was a child, which
meant leaving friends and classmates behind that I had sometimes only
begun to get to know.
Still, I remind myself
this morning, as I sit here at my laptop reminiscing about them, that
even though I may seldom hear from old friends, who have moved away,
I continue to be enriched by our time together however long ago it
transpired. Each of my friends has contributed to my personal growth
over the years in more ways that I can count; thus, they remain an
important part of my life.
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