old friends
April 11, 2012 § Leave a comment
We’re just back from Spring Break, and I’m glad to have had some time, albeit brief, to reconnect with some of our oldest and dearest friends. We have been friends with the Newtons for years: first, in our 20s and fresh out of college in Atlanta. Then for the better part of 10 years, we found our way through young adulthood: jobs, promotions, graduate school, marriage and children. Even after we moved to Seattle, we made a commitment to stay close. We try to get together every summer and, while the past couple of years has been harder, we still find bits of time together. Our girls call them “Aunt” and “Uncle,” and their little ones call us the same. Looking at old pictures of the children makes me smile – I can’t believe how fast they are growing, but seeing them together does somehow keep a bit of their childhood forever frozen.
Old friends feel like coming home – no matter how crazy life gets or where its twists and turns take you, it is comforting to know that you always have these kinds of friends, in your back pocket, who loved you when and will always be in your life. And just like I’m sure it is for most old friends, when we get together, it’s like no time has passed. You don’t have to be “on,” and there is an endless supply of conversation: “Remember when …” and “Can you believe we …” Within minutes, the kids are right back where they left off, playing pirates or soldiers or crafting. They laugh easily and each is their most kooky self. It’s magic, and magical things seem to happen. Amazingly every time we’ve been together at the beach, our kids have found buried treasure. They uncover cool old pirate maps, the X marks the spot kind leading to a treasure that’s just perfect for them (how does that keep happening?). It’s their little tradition, bonding them with something they’ll always share. I love knowing that my children, like us, will always have these dear old friends rooting for them in life.
little things i love 
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