April 6, 2013 Old Friends

“A friend is a gift you give yourself."

Robert Louis Stevenson   One of the many challenges we face is maintaining friendships across the miles and throughout the years. It is so simple to let the days, months and years flow by as people come in and out of one's life. Perhaps friends are not meant to stay with us as we go through various stages,but there are always those few who remain dear in our hearts and in whom we have entrusted our confidence. To lose them is to lose a bit of ourselves. I found some photos of long ago and sent them to my best friend from college today. They were taken on a gray day in a park near campus where we had gone to escape the doldrums brought on by too much studying. Who could guess that forty years later, I would reflect on the need to keep in contact with old friends. If you have a moment to reach out to someone from your past, make that call or send that card. It will certainly brighten the day for both of you.