I posted not too long about friends, Friends For Life. That post was about friends—good friends help contribute to a happy healthy life. Since then I read a post about people you become friends with and stay friends with and how some friends come and go.
While I was reading, I started thinking about my close friends from Junior High. I was reminded of my relationships with these friends and I likened it to us—there are four of us—walking through a forest on life’s journey, walking in a HUGE forest, yeah, “The Forest of Life”. We are walking together. Sometimes we are on the same path, either in a line or two in front of the others or whatever; when it is the same path we can all see each other. Sometimes, the path might become separate trails. Sometimes these trails can be separated just by pebbles or rocks on the ground. Sometimes the trails might be separated by low bushes or even high bushes, dense or thin. Sometimes there might even be HUGE trees and maybe even different levels that separate our trails from the one big path we were at one point walking on together, but I still hear them there. I still know they are there. The trails meet up and go apart, bushes, trees, pebbles, rocks, maybe even streams might separate the path sometimes, but we are all still on the hike, in the same forest.
Yes, what I AM saying is that sometimes things come up and these things get in the way of a closeness that might have been shared. Sometimes one of us might be going through a phrase where she might feel alone, on a side trail. Sometimes we can all be on completely different trails. We have all had “stuff” in our lives that has taken us away from the group, but, that’s the way it goes. We’ve know each other since Junior High . . . about 30 years and there is no way that in 30 years the relationships of four people could not change and adjust, but we are all on the same walk.
I am so blessed to have three friends from Junior High that are my bestest friends. Even though at times we have slightly separated, and come together, and moved off, and come back, and we might not have all been super-duper close all 30 years, but we have not been apart. Since we were 18 we have been getting together for each birthday and Christmas. So for almost 25 years we get together AT LEAST five times a year. It doesn’t always work out that all four of us get togther every time, but pretty much.
Speaking of birthdays, one of these friends just happens to be having a birthday today. And I thought that I could post a Happy Birthday on here for her. I didn’t ask her and I didn’t tell her so . . . .I won’t name her, but she knows who she is. If she happens to see this and cares to step up, that is up to her.
Either way, I am wishing her a happy, happy birthday and letting her know that I have enjoyed all the years I have been able to do so and I look forward to being able to wish her many, many more. I could have subconsciously been thinking of walking because we are going to celebrate her birthday this year by walking in the MS Walk in San Jose. Maybe, at lunch, after the walk they will let me take a picture and I will get their permission to post it here. (So check back in a few days and maybe you can see us! It took a week, but I did post a picture of us, see below.)
I always marvel at THEIR wonderfulness for having put up with me this long.
Here’s to us and the journey that we are on, walking through the forest of life . . . . . .
Terre Pruitt's Blog 